Finding You in Candlelight
by wordsaremyspells1331
Summary: A year has passed since Tartaros tried to destroy everything. Lucy and Natsu are trying to rebuild the guild from the ground up but there is something sinister coming in from the shadows. People are missing and a new enemy has arisen. Will our faithful team persevere? Rated M for future Lemons and possible violence. POSSIBLE SPOILERS.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Good day, my readers. Thank you for your time. I am beginning this story at the end of the current run of Fairy Tail anime episodes (end of Tartaros arc).**

 *****IMPORTANT*** - If you have not read or watched up to this point, there may be many spoilers for you in the coming chapters. Additionally, I may accidentally add spoilers from the current position of the manga. It is up to you to use your own discretion when reading this fan fiction.**

 **Naturally, I do not own Fairy Tail. If Hiro Mashima ever decides to write fan fiction for us, please let me know. I will devour it in an instant.**

* * *

Chapter One:

 _One year gone. The guild hall destroyed, Fairy Tail disbanded, and everyone moved on to their new separate lives. No word, no letters... Just silence._

Lucy Heartfilia sat in a small cafe that boasted a grand view of Mercurius, the palace of Crocus. Spring flowers were in full bloom and loose petals drifted with the breeze.

 _What a beautiful city_ , she thought wistfully.

"COOOOOL!" her boss Jason, editor of Sorcerer Magazine, shouted suddenly.

They had gone for a relaxing lunch during a rare moment of downtime but when she followed his gaze she could see what had gotten him worked up again. Members of the guild Phoenix Grave had entered the city and were sightseeing along that street. Lucy recognized Mace Orlando from a fan article a few years back when he was in the top ranking for "The Wizard I Want to Be My Boyfriend" articles.  
 _  
Before Tenrou_. Lucy recalled the events of the last few years. _So much has happened since we returned and the others..._

Lucy felt a stab of longing when she thought of her friends. Despite doing her best to keep tabs on their movements throughout Fiore, things were nowhere near the same. She missed the guild.

 _Natsu... Happy..._ The Dragon Slayer and Exceed had been the catalyst that brought her to Fairy Tail. Before them, guild life was a dream bred from magazine clippings and centerfolds. After them, her life was back to the lonely shell she had hoped to escape. She rubbed her fingers absentmindedly across the guild symbol still etched onto her right hand. _The guild may be disbanded but I still do not have the strength to remove it._

"I wonder if Phoenix Grave is going to participate in the Grand Magic Games this year," Lucy mused aloud.

"That would be cooool!" Jason exclaimed. "Let's go get a fresh scoop on 'em so we have a smokin' article to start off Games Week with!"

Lucy shoved the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth and grabbed her purse before the exuberant reporter ran off without her. As they ran through the crowd, Lucy glimpsed a shade of scarlet at a nearby vendor. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Erza?" She took a half step towards the stall and tripped over a loose stone.

Her gaze darted around, looking for the person she hoped beyond reason that she had seen. All that was there was a young red-headed man with short hair in a shade far too light to really be mistaken for scarlet.

 _It's not Erza. Titania. The Fairy Queen and champion of Fairy Tail._ Lucy's heart ached. She missed them all. A passerby helped Lucy to her feet. She bowed, thanking him politely, and hurried after her boss. Her keys thumped against her hip, gently reminding her of the friends who remained by her side. _Back to reality_.

* * *

The night before the Grand Magic Games were to begin, Lucy could not help but reminisce about the last year of her life. Tartaros, Acnologia, Natsu's letter, her deep depression... Finding her job at Sorcerer Magazine was her final lifeline after all of that.

 _But..._

Lucy rested her hand on Plue's quivering head. Her Nikora spirit was a constant companion these days.

"We would go back in an instant, wouldn't we Plue? Lucy smiled.

"Puuun!" Plue raised his little hand high.

"Yeah." Lucy extended her index finger and her thumb and raised them above her head in the Fairy Tail salute. Glancing at her wall of sparsely collected information on her guild mates, she murmured, "no matter how far away you go, I am always watching over you."

* * *

The days passed as the Games began and each event quickly came to an end. Lucy heard the crowd as the spectators cheered and booed for their favorite teams. She took notes of particularly extravagant uses of magical power or creative strategies in preparation for the Sorcerer Magazine Special Edition that would be released when the event was over. She and Jason would spend each evening visiting with the participating guilds to collect first hand comments on the spectacular things the people of Fiore were witnessing.

Lucy felt the energy from the participants as they fought to earn their place as Fiore's number one guild. While the atmosphere was exciting, she could not help but note that the games lacked much of their former luster without the top guilds from last year participating. Even with Fairy Tail's disbanding, Lucy had expected Sabertooth or Lamia Scale to attempt to conquer the top spot. Without them, each day ended with Lucy feeling underwhelmed by the displays of magical power.

When an invitation came for Lucy from the palace, Jason insisted that she go. She had hoped to decline the Princess' personal request for an audience but as the Games were nearing their end it was a good opportunity to get the Royal insider's opinions on this year's events.

 _Never mind that the King is their own special mascot, at least they are not siphoning magical power this time_ , Lucy reflected on the chaos of the previous year's Games as she made her way up the palace steps.

She was to meet Princess Hisui in the Crocus Gardens for late afternoon tea. After their fierce battle with the Eclipse Spirits, Hisui and Lucy had begun to exchange an occasional friendly correspondence which had developed into meetings once she moved to Crocus. As two celestial wizards, they had much to discuss and Lucy found the Princess' intellect to be refreshing in her loneliness. These weeks, however, Lucy had not felt much like socializing; even with royalty.

As she approached the garden, she saw the princess waiting patiently at a small wrought iron table shaded by an elegant white umbrella. To Lucy, it was the perfect image of grace. One that the princess carried with her everywhere.

Their visit passed by pleasantly. They spoke of the celestial spirits, rumors in the kingdom, and the Hisui's various new projects.

"Nothing too big, I promise!" Hisui's laugh tinkled out like a bell at Lucy's concerned expression. "I learned my lessons."

"As long as there are no more dragons rampaging through the city, I'm OK." Lucy returned with a laugh of her own. "If you need any help, my spirits and I would gladly be of service."

"I am glad of your friendship and grateful for your continued support, Lucy." Hisui's kindness and charm radiated from every word. "I would like to speak with your spirits some time. Perhaps the next time we meet. I have so many questions about the spirit world now that I've seen it."

When their talk turned to the Games, Lucy reached for the notebook in her purse and found Natsu's letter in its place. Her heart lurched. Hisui did not miss Lucy's pause or the tears that welled in her eyes.

"Still no word then?" the Princess asked gently.

Lucy shook her head and brushed the mist from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to-."

"Your Highness!" Arcadios, Hisui's white knight came walking briskly up the path. "The King has asked for you m'lady."

"Please forgive me, Lucy." The Princess of Fiore rose gracefully from her seat and took Lucy by the hand. "Be strong, Fairy Tail mage. I'm sure you will see them all again soon. May the stars watch over you."

"And you, Your Highness." Lucy's grip tightened for a moment in gratitude. As their hands parted and the Princess took her leave, Lucy reached for the pendant at her neck. The handle of Aquarius' broken key hung from a long leather strap, a makeshift necklace Lucy had crafted to wear it close to her heart. It was for moments like these when she needed comfort that she was grateful to still have a small part of her oldest friend with her. It was also to remind herself of the sacrifices her friends had made to save the world. It was a painful memory but a loss that felt too disrespectful to regret.

Lucy walked through the endless sea of flowers and eventually made her way out of the Garden. The sun was setting and the magical lacrima lights flickered to life all around her. She walked along the quiet street until she heard footsteps walking beside her. She knew he would appear tonight; he always came when she cried.

"You have not called us out much lately, Lucy," he said softly.

"I'm sorry, Loke," she took the hand he offered and continued towards home. "I have not felt much like training this week."

"You can still call on me even if it's only to talk. I won't even flirt with you." He placed his free hand over his heart to symbolize his sincerity.

"Loke... I miss our friends and-" Lucy choked back a sob. "Even when I call you to train with me... I couldn't face you. Any of you... Not after what I did to her."

"She offered herself to save you, Lucy." Her leonine guardian shone in a golden light as he spoke this powerful truth. "She loved you enough - trusted you - to save everyone. And you did."

Loke stopped and placed a long finger under her chin. He tilted her face up until she met his eyes. "Everyone is so proud of you. Even her. Especially her. None of us would have seen you again if Tartaros had won. Magic would have been erased from the world. I would not have seen you or anyone from Fairy Tail ever again. So let her choice be your joy. You know she hated it when you cried."

Lucy's eyes brimmed with fresh tears and she cried freely. Loke brushed them away gently and brought the hand he held to graze lightly across his lips. "Be brave, princess. Friends are not so easily forgotten. Otherwise, what use would it be to keep them so close to our hearts?"

The golden light receded but Lucy felt Loke's words linger like flickering candlelight that found a fresh span of wick to burn.

 _"It's not like I'll die," she had said._ Lucy smiled and felt the warmth of the key around her neck. Her spirits needed her too. She reassured herself, gathered her strength and marched back into the city towards her home. _Everything will come together in the end_.

* * *

It was the final day of the Grand Magic Games. In a glorious twist of events that Lucy vaguely regretted not betting money on, the week-long event came to an end. The victors had been named, the crowds cheered, and the Damus Flau was on fire.

 _This power_.

That magical aura. That fire. That maniacal laughter. There was a burning in Lucy's stomach as she watched the hooded figure throw back his cloak.

 _Natsu_.

Lucy's throat went dry. She was the only one who did not flee the stadium; the only one who could not run even as she urged the others to go. The stadium was melting from the heat - her clothes were falling apart.

Lucy covered herself with her hands, pulling what scraps were left of her clothing back together. She did not want to believe what she saw. _Just a dream._

She rubbed her eyes but the vision remained. Taller, older... _still handso-._

"Lucy!" said a voice by her ear, jarring her from her thoughts.

"Happy?"

The blue winged cat flew up to hover at her shoulder. "Natsu wanted to fight the winners so we got here just in time."

Natsu's laughter died down as he looked around and saw no one left to fight.

 _His hair has grown longer_ , she noted.

"Hi Lucy!" He had seen her on her observation platform. She could not help but smile as he grinned and waved at her like he did not have a care in the world.

"Hey Natsu!" her voice was far more calm than the thumping in her chest thought it would be.

She ran. Down the steps, through the halls, into the arena and -

 ***punch!***

Her fist connected with his face in a wild swing. Stunned, Natsu stumbled and fell onto his back. He started to laugh again and fire bellowed from his lungs into the air.

"You have not changed a bit!" he crowed. "Feisty as ever."

"Neither have you, you barbarian!" she shouted back. "You have destroyed the entire arena!"

"There he is!" Castle guards began pouring into the stadium. "That girl took him out?"

Natsu did not resist as the guards charged him. He gave Lucy a wide effortless smile as they clipped magic binding handcuffs on his wrists. "I'll be back in a bit."

Lucy followed behind the armed procession, her thoughts wild and uncontrollable.

 _Where have they been? Has Natsu really gotten that much stronger? His magical presence is incredible._ Her own training with Capricorn and the other spirits was paying off but Natsu's raw magic was palpable. Even Happy looked stronger. _What have they been doing all this time?_

She followed the guards until they reached the throne room.

"The King is waiting inside," said one of the guards, leading Happy and Natsu inside.

Another reached a hand to Lucy. "Stay here, please."

 _Oh no. What's happening_.

"Is he going to be arrested?" she asked simply. He was young, she noted. His sandy brown hair brushed the tips of his ears but did not hide the pale blue eyes that drank in her image.

The guard shrugged, looking away quickly. "With any luck or all of Crocus will go up in flames next time."

"Why can't I go in?"

"It would be inappropriate for you to present yourself before the King dressed as you are, Miss." The guard blushed and returned to his post.

Looking down, Lucy remembered that her clothes had been destroyed by the heat and fire from the stadium. In her rush to confront Natsu she had completely forgotten her state of undress. Cheeks reddening, she apologized to the equally embarrassed guards and ran to find some privacy. Summoning Virgo, she was dressed again within moments and returned to face the door and wait.

 _Natsu. Happy._

Time continued to move but Lucy waited patiently. There were magical enchantments that prevented eavesdropping so Lucy fretted, wanting to know what was happening inside. She paced and huffed but still the doors remained closed.

Finally, as she was thinking about grabbing dinner, the doors opened and Natsu strolled out, wrists free of their bindings. He looked pleased with himself as did Happy who followed closely behind.

 _Thank you!_ Lucy called out mentally to anyone who was listening.

"Try to see that they stay out of any more trouble, Miss," the guard who had spoken to her before begged. "Crocus has finally begun to recover from the events of last year."

"I'll do my best," she replied, mentally crossing her fingers. _No one can control these two, I'm afraid._

Lucy led her two friends out of the castle without an escort. If they wondered how she knew her way they did not mention it and she did not think to tell them. As they exited the front gates and began to wander through the vendor stalls, the smells of roasted meats and vegetables cooked in a variety of spices rose to greet them.

Her eyebrow quivered with irritation as her stomach growled in response to the smells. "I'm going to go get dinner. I don't suppose you boys had anything to eat while the King was chewing you out?"

She turned to face them and to no surprise saw Natsu and Happy drooling over a nearby stand. She walked over and tugged lightly on Natsu's hand. "Let's go get some food, okay?"

Lucy took them to a restaurant closer to the cafe she frequented that boasted quality food for not a lot of money. She ate there frequently to save a few extra jewels. As they ate, Natsu and Happy regaled Lucy with stories of their adventures. From running out of money quickly into their journey and being forced to get jobs to leveling mountains in the quest for fish, they were now ready to come home and head back to the guild.

Lucy languished over having to tell them that the guild had disbanded in their absence. She saw the surprise and despair cross Natsu's face as he absorbed the news. After losing Igneel, Fairy Tail took Natsu in. Happy was born there. Now, after losing Igneel again...

"I'm so sorry, Natsu. Happy." Lucy's tears fell freely. They had returned to Lucy's apartment after their meal. Lucy offered them a place to stay until they decided what to do. She was seated on a couch with Happy resting beside her while Natsu sat cross legged on the floor in front of them.

Happy rested his head on her leg. "What about Carla?"

"Everyone separated but I'm sure she's just fine. She and Wendy are as inseparable as you and Natsu." Lucy tried to be reassuring but her last news of Wendy and Carla was dated over six months back. "They are probably off training somewhere mountains are not being destroyed."

"Aw I wanted to challenge Erza when we got back!" Natsu complained, falling onto his back. "I'm sure I could beat her now! This is stupid."

"Erza went off the radar, as far as I can tell. She popped up around Hargeon early on after the disbanding. After that, every record I have seen her name in has almost always been synonymous with Crime Sorcerie, so I imagine that she is probably working to uncover more dark guilds."

Having Natsu and Happy here in Crocus with her, in her home, felt more natural than anything Lucy had experienced in a long time. Their lives had taken different paths for a while but she was starting to believe that hers was finally getting back on course.

"Argh! This is so unfair! Why did they go and disband without telling us?" Natsu crossed his arms over his eyes in frustration, falling back onto the floor.

"You didn't exactly leave a calling card when you left, Natsu." Lucy tried to keep the grief from her voice. "It was the Master's decision and we had to follow his orders."

"I promised Igneel I would get stronger, so I went and got stronger. I have to defeat Acnologia if its the last thing I ever do."

Lucy scratched Happy's head gently as she thought on Natsu's words. The young Exceed purred and slept contentedly.

"I know you will, Natsu," she said softly. "I believe you will defeat him."

Lucy eased Happy's head off of her lap and replaced it with a pillow cushion. She grabbed some spare blankets from her closet and set them aside for Natsu to use when he was ready. The couch would be a tight fit, but after sleeping outdoors for months, to Natsu and Happy it was better than anything.

Prepared to turn in, she headed for her bedroom. She passed through her curtained doorway and pulled back her sheets. She began to lift her shirt over her head but stopped when she heard her makeshift doorway being pushed aside.

"Hey Lucy?" Natsu called quietly. He did not enter her room but merely moved the cloth so he could see her.

"Yeah Natsu?"

She saw his brow furrow in concentration. His features relaxed and he closed his eyes in resignation. "Never mind. Goodnight."

"O-ok. Goodnight, Natsu."

Confused but too exhausted to worry about it, Lucy undressed, extinguished the lights, and crawled into bed.

* * *

Natsu could not sleep. It was dark and he was tired but sleep would not come.

"Happy?" he whispered into the darkness.

"Aye?" his Exceed companion replied sleepily.

Again, Natsu was at a loss for words. When Happy's soft snores reached his ears again, he gave up on trying to speak.

Natsu stood up and padded softly through the house. He looked at Lucy's books, her writing desk, her kitchen.

 _No food,_ he thought glumly, shutting the pantry he had been snooping through.

He stopped before the cloth curtain that separated him from Lucy's room for the second time that evening. He brushed the curtain back gently so the cloth did not make a sound and stepped into her room.

Moonlight flooded the bedroom with a blue hued glow. The brightest beam fell to the bed where Lucy lay fast asleep. Natsu knelt by her face and looked at her intently, trying to summon the words he had lost before.

It was then that he saw the wall. Pictures and minuscule handwritten accounts of dates and events spread across the open surface of her bedroom wall, each one connected together with bits of colored strings.

 _It's the guild._ Natsu realized. _She's trying to find everyone. Anyone._

Natsu looked back at her sleeping form and thought of how fragile she looked. Fragile was the wrong word, he corrected himself. He knew better than to think his teammate was weak. Vulnerable. In her sleep she lost much of the deep sadness that lived behind the smile he had seen today. Her walls were gone, the creases of her worry relaxed. Here with the moonlight like a blanket over her bare -.

Natsu flushed unexpectedly and averted his gaze. She was naked in her bed and Natsu was in her room. His stomach churned and he felt uncomfortably hot.

 _I never get too hot_. Natsu retreated quickly and opened the living room window. He let the cool night's breeze wash over him. The fire in his belly flared to life and he was filled with a new conviction.

"Fairy Tail is not gone," Natsu whispered into the night. "We will rise again. You'll see."

"Aye, sir!" Happy called sleepily from the couch.

* * *

 _Poor Natsu_. Lucy watched her friend grip his stomach in agony as their train lurched along its tracks.

They had run from Crocus in the early morning after Natsu had spread his fire across the palace walls, signaling Fairy Tail's return. She, Natsu, and Happy were headed back on the first train towards Magnolia to begin tracing their guild member's tracks. Lucy barely had any time to grab her belongings as Natsu breathlessly told her his plan to revive the guild before the palace guards were pounding at her apartment door.

"He's even more destructive," she mused quietly, thinking on how he had launched himself from her window with her in his arms. "But his motion sickness is as bad as ever, I guess."

Happy rubbed the back of his head with his paw and gave Lucy a sheepish grin. "If anything it has gotten worse, Lucy. He's hopeless."

"I guess even a year of training can't solve everything."

Natsu groaned irritably in response. He did not like that he could be defeated so easily by something so trivial and listening to others talk about it made him feel worse.

Lucy thought back to her first train ride with Natsu, Erza and Gray. She recalled Erza knocking Natsu unconscious to help ease his suffering. Fully aware that she had neither the willpower or physical strength to cause him harm, she dismissed that as an option to help him. Instead, almost purely out of instince, she moved to sit beside him on his bench and guided him down to rest his head on her lap.

Too weak to protest, Natsu accepted the gesture.

Her new seat put her next to the window so she gazed out at the quickly moving landscape. The shifting colors lulled her into a quiet meditative state.

Natsu's eyes opened when he felt Lucy's fingers slip gently into his hair. He did not move at first but his mind focused as her fingertips brushed lightly against his scalp. He tried to breath calmly through his nose, but this sensation was new to him, different from the rough fluffing he received from others in the past.

Natsu noticed that the twisting and roiling in his stomach quieted so he chanced a look up at his savior.

Lucy's eyes were half lidded as she stared out the window. Her lips curved up gently as she paid no attention to him or her hands.

 _She has no clue what she's doing right now_. Natsu realized and her fingers continued their gentle ministrations through his hair. _Do I even want her to stop?_

He decided on "No" when the next run of her fingers tugged at his pink logs, sending a wave crashing through his nerves, distracting him entirely from his stomach pains.

"Nng-," came a guttural noise from the back of Natsu's throat, completely unbidden. Natsu shut his eyes quickly as Lucy's fingers froze.

 _Where did that come from?_ he thought, panicked.

A few, breathless seconds passed and Lucy resumed her movements.

 _Is it just me or is she a little more focused now?_ Natsu fought the blush that threatened to creep across his cheeks. He felt Lucy brush his hair away from his face and his mouth twitched upwards into a small smile.

The train lurched across an uneven part of track, sending Natsu's stomach rolling once again. He clutched his sides with a groan. "Lucy, I think I'm dying."

"You're not dying, Natsu." He felt her ruffle his hair and pull her hand away. Natsu reached up to grab her retreating hand and led it back to his head.

"Helps," he croaked. He cracked an eye open to look up at her. "Please."

Lucy smiled at her ailed companion and began to run her fingers through his hair once again. She had started it without thinking but if it helped him, she did not mind. It kept her preoccupied in the silent car.

After a while, she noticed that Natsu's breathing had stabilized and he was no longer panting in pain. She glanced down and saw that his eyes were closed and by the way he was draped like putty across the seats she assumed he was fast asleep. She brushed his hair away from his face again to keep it from tickling his nose.

 _I should have Cancer trim this when we get home_ , she thought. _Although if I'm honest it doesn't look half bad._

She pulled a strand of his hair down until the tips met his jawline. _Nope, too long. It'll get in the way if we have to fight._

Lucy let the strand of hair go and traced her finger along his jawline absentmindedly. Her eyes wandered as she took in the rest of the changes that had occurred in her absence. She noticed a few new scars along his abdomen that were fading as they healed, barely noticeable. She blushed when she wondered if there were others she could not see.

She returned her gaze out the window but the blush lingered. _Stupid Lucy. What was that for? He's really no different than before..._

She decided her sudden nerves were due to not having seen Natsu in such a long time that now it was almost like getting to know her teammate all over again. A quiet laugh brought her attention back to the car. Happy had woken up and was watching her with delighted eyes.

"Hehe," Happy laughed behind a paw. "What are you doing, Lucy?"

Lucy scowled as he slurred her name. "Mind your own business, stupid cat."

"You're all red in the face, Lucy. Do you have a fever?"

"Maybe. Go back to sleep."

"Sure." Happy sat there with his suspicious grin and Lucy promptly ignored him, turning to face out the window. She did not notice that her fingers had tightened in Natsu's hair again or that his eyes had opened and watched with cautious curiosity.

* * *

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

Magnolia was bustling. The townspeople had returned shortly after the battle with Tartaros had ended and it was almost impossible to tell that the entire city had been reduced to rubble only one year before. The townsfolk were working hard in the midday sun and Lucy Heartfilia found it refreshing to see so many lively faces as she walked through the streets.

She, Natsu, and Happy had arrived at the station in the late morning. After so many hours on the train and Natsu's crippling motion sickness, they had nearly missed their stop to disembark. Luckily, Happy was able to carry their sick friend while Lucy dragged their giant gear sack.

"How much do you need?" she cried over the noisy station. "I just packed up my whole life and it weighs less than this!"

Natsu, having regained some of his composure, flashed her a mighty smile. "Treasure from our adventures of course! Had to bring back some souvenirs from our trip."

"Aye!" cried Happy in agreement and then looked downcast. "I was going to bring Carla back a fish, but then I ate it."

"That's okay little buddy, we'll catch more fish when we see everyone again!" Natsu encouraged the small Exceed. "Fish are better fresh anyway, right?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy's eyes lit up in excitement.

Lucy smiled along with them, entertained by the simplicity in Happy's conquest for Carla's heart. "Come on, guys. Let's go find somewhere to stay until we get our bearings and make a plan."

To Lucy's chagrin, her former landlady had rented out her old apartment. "To someone who pays on time!" she had yelled. Fortunately for Lucy, she did have another place across town that her tenants had just moved out of.

It was a one story apartment with a similar floor plan to her home in Crocus. The bedroom was separated from the living room by an open frame but the bathroom was large and sported a bathtub that could easily fit two people. At $85,000 jewels per month, Lucy could not really complain on such short notice. What it lacked in monetary convenience it made up for in space and privacy.

Lucy handed over almost all of her savings from her job in Crocus with a grimace but it would cover her for three months of rent. Despite the financial strain, when she sat down on her new couch she sighed in relief. She could focus on settling back in and finding her old guild mates before worrying about her next rent payment. She unpacked her things while Natsu and Happy went back to their ramshackle house in the forest. To "check on things" they told her.

Lucy did not mind the brief respite from the whirlwind of chaos that had blown back through her life. She had every intention of using this time to her full advantage and take a nice, long bath. She felt grimy from their days of travel and wanted to regain some semblance of normalcy.

As she soaked, she shuffled through the notes she had taken when tracking her scattered guild-mates throughout Fiore. She was trying to formulate a solid plan and thought it would be best to start with those individuals whose reports were steady and unchanging. She knew Gray had wandered into the northern mountains to train with the new ice magic his father had gifted him in preparation for defeating END. It was safe to assume that Juvia was with him although there was no way to confirm that either mage had stayed put. The Strauss family went off hunting stray demons that had escaped Tartaros. Cana was working at a bar somewhere between Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus... No sign of Levy or Erza...

 _How hard is it to find someone who lives behind a book? Or someone who does almost as much damage to a province as Natsu? Where are they?_

As Lucy's bath lost its heat, she toweled off and changed into a comfortable nightgown and slippers. She sat at her new writing desk in the living room and penned an update in the journal she had been keeping upon moving to Crocus. Under advisement, she had started to write an active account of her daily thoughts and found that venting out her frustrations there was as soothing as the unsent letters to her mother had once been.

As the night air cooled and blew in through her window, Lucy let out a big yawn and decided to head to sleep. She took her notes with her to flip through one last time but as she crawled between her clean sheets, sleep overcame her too quickly and she was lost to her dreams.

* * *

Natsu wandered the streets of Magnolia, the cool night air kissing his chest as he walked along. He was trying to memorize the path to Lucy's new place so we would not accidentally startle the new tenants in her old apartment. He had already done that once tonight and a repeat of that experience was unnecessary.

Happy had stayed behind, knocked out and wrapped around some stuffed token they had picked up at a job long ago. After spending so much time asleep on the train, Natsu needed to stretch his legs a bit more before trying to turn in.

He approached Lucy's new apartment and saw a light on in the front. The window was propped open and the curtains were not drawn. _Is she still awake?_

Hopeful that someone else was suffering from the same insomnia, Natsu leaped up to the open window and peered inside. Keeping quiet, in case he chose the wrong house again, Natsu looked around and grinned when he spotted Lucy's suitcase propped up against the wall. He leapt over the sill and stepped lightly into the living room space, eager to look around.

After finding no food in the small kitchenette, Natsu backtracked through the living space. The lobby by the door was small but the main room was large and neatly furnished. The couch was comfortable enough but he would prefer his hammock or a real bed for sleeping. There was a coffee table unlike her last place. The writing desk was a different shape but familiar and smelled of fresh ink and paper. It was there that Natsu noticed a small book with a red ribbon bookmark that looked neglected on the otherwise empty table.

Knowing better than to snoop, Natsu continued to poke around Lucy's apartment but after a few minutes his curiosity got the better of him.

 _She would be more surprised if I didn't look_ , he mused. _Happy and I always snuck a look at her novel when we were waiting around for her._

Natsu and Happy liked Lucy's stories. They were dramatic and altogether too girly for Natsu did fully understand, but he understood the adventures. She wrote about journeys they had gone on together and adventures that she still dreamt of having. Natsu picked up the journal and began rifling through the pages.

 _Day 139 - Not sure about this guy... He's great and all but it just doesn't feel... right, you know? I'm just glad I finally know what it's like to go on a real date that doesn't get interrupted halfway through._

 _Date?_ Natsu paused and read on.

 _I was surprised when Mace asked me to give him a tour of Crocus. When I asked if the rest of his team would be joining him, he merely laughed and said he was bad at asking girls out. Top bachelor in Fiore asking me out on a date?_ _How perfect is that, right? Still... something doesn't feel right. He's taking me dancing tomorrow so, we'll see how it goes, right?_

Brows furrowed, Natsu felt a foreign tightness in his stomach. It felt uncomfortable to keep reading this part so he shuffled back to the beginning of the journal.

 _Day 27 - Finally reached a point where I don't cry every single day. It's been a few months since the disbanding, but my friends at the paper were right. Writing my thoughts out has been helping me heal slowly. I don't know why I stopped writing to my mom. I guess when Magnolia burnt to the ground it just seemed like the words were empty. I haven't worked on my novel since Tartaros took everything away from us. I just don't have it in me anymore._

Natsu froze in realization. He was holding Lucy's _diary_ in his hands. There was no forgiveness for reading this. His gut clenched when he thought of the kick she would deliver if she ever found out. His fingers toyed with the end of the bookmark that stuck out from her latest entry. Curiosity getting the better of him again he opened to the page, fresh ink glistening in the dim lighting of her desk lacrima light.

 _Day 374 - Do I keep counting the days now that my life is on track again? Do I start over? Start a new journal to mark the new start in my journey? It is so great to see Natsu and Happy again. My heart feels lighter than it has in over a year but I still can't shake this pain that lingers. I am glad we are going to find everyone and bring them home but I am still hurt that I was left behind. I was forgotten. Left crying in the rubble with nothing but a note and now it's all smiles like nothing ever happened. I've written about it before... This pain is nothing new... I need to focus on the guild now, not on myself. We can only move forward. Natsu's right. The guild needs to be together now more than ever._

Natsu's heart clenched. He quickly shut the journal and placed it quietly back on the writing desk. The words he had lost that first night came tumbling to the front of his mind in a jumbled chaotic heap. He should not have left. He should have fought for Fairy Tail. He was angry with himself, sad for Lucy, and every instinct he had knew that he could not do it again. Flames licked his tightened fist; he was fired up.

A soft snore broke him out of his internal reverie. Beyond the open doorway, Lucy's sleepy yawn broke the silence and he heard her shift and settle back down. Dowsing the lacrima on her desk, Natsu padded quietly across the wooden floors and entered her sleeping space. Starlight lit the room for him, although the night was still darker here. He edged his way carefully to Lucy's bedside and crawled on top of her covers to sit beside her. She was facing the window, so he climbed over her to see her face and lean against the window.

"I'm sorry I left, Lucy," he whispered, gently moving a stray wisp of hair from her cheek. "I know you will never ask for an apology or let me think that you are still sad. You're going to make the guild your priority and I admire that. I want to find them too, but I need to acknowledge your pain first. You're one of my best friends and I disrespected that when I left to train. I'm sorry."

"I know you're sorry, Natsu. Go to sleep or I'll kick you." Her eyes had not opened and Natsu could not tell if she was awake or talking in her sleep, but she spoke all the same. The sleep that had alluded him finally gave in and Natsu felt his eyes drooping. Not liking the idea of passing out in an alley trying to get home, he shuffled down and laid his head next to hers.

"Goodnight, Lucy."

"Idiot."

* * *

Lucy woke to sunlight, snoring, and a stifling heat in her room. Her first thought was that she had overslept and the late morning sun was beating her home to death with its heat. Her second thought was that her covers were heavier than she had remembered when she went to bed. As she tried to pull them off of herself, an extra weight snaked its way across her middle to trap her in.

 _Huh?_ she looked to her side and saw a mound of pink fluff drooling on her spare pillow.

"Natsu?"

She poked the sleeping body and was greeted with a low growl. He was not a morning person today. Too tired to fight first thing in the morning, Lucy merely acknowledged with gratitude that he was on top of her covers. His natural body heat was overwhelming, however, so she moved his arm off of her and scooted out of the bed.

Lucy spent a few minutes putting the rest of her clothes into her dresser before heading into the bathroom to change into more acceptable daytime clothing. She pulled on her white top that exposed the majority of her stomach, pulled up her short blue skirt and buckled her belt onto her waist. She ran her brush through her hair and separated it into two long pigtails, tying each off with a blue bow. Reassuring herself that her Gate Keys and whip were still attached to her belt, she brushed on a quick coat of mascara and lip gloss and headed back into her room.

She frowned at the sleeping mass still huddled on her bed. _Is he going to sleep through the day?_

A growling from her stomach let her know that breakfast was more important than worrying about it.

 _Let him sleep. We have work to do._

Lucy slipped on her shoes and quietly let herself out of her apartment, locking the door behind her. She counted some jewels out of her purse and ran over to a cafe that she had seen on their way in the day before. After a short line, she left with three sandwiches, a scone, and a heaping bag of ground coffee tucked into a small cloth bag the shop had lying around. She stopped by another shop to grab some sugar and cream before heading back home with her haul. She passed a fish vendor closer to the canal and stopped by to grab a fresh fish for Happy when he eventually arrived.

Natsu heard the front door open before his eyes cracked to let in the morning light. His head was pounding from exhaustion, lingering effects from the train ride the day before. He reached out his arm and felt soft cloth beneath his fingers.

 _I'm in a bed?_ He recalled the previous night's explorations before remembering where he had eventually fallen asleep. _Oh right. I'm still at Lucy's. I shouldn't have stayed so long. She's going to get mad and yell any minute now._

"Natsu?" came a soft call from the other room. "If you're awake I got breakfast."

That woke him up. He inhaled deeply and could smell the warm cooked sandwiches drifting in towards him. Natsu sat up, rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Hurry up you loaf! We have to get to work!" Lucy called again.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," he muttered. He shuffled into the front room and stared at the spread Lucy had collected on the table. She herself was standing over a coffee maker, waiting for her brew to finish collecting in the pot below. "Make me a cup wouldja?"

Lucy shot him a glare and the smiled, "I made extra!"

Natsu dropped to the floor next to the table and stared at the bounty before him. His mouth began to water and he reached out to grab the nearest item.

"Just leave the scone and half a sandwich for me, please," Lucy called without looking at him. Otherwise dig in!"

"Thanks Lucy!" Natsu grabbed the closest sandwich and shoved it gracelessly into his hungry maw. Moments passed and Lucy joined him, two steaming cups of coffee in her hands.

"I couldn't remember if you liked sugar or cream in your coffee, but there's more on the table if you want it."

"I'm fine without," he tried to say around the food in his mouth, oblivious to the destruction his speech caused. He swallowed roughly and brought the cup to his lips. "Smells great."

"Lucy! Have you seen Natsu?" came a call from her bedroom.

"Seriously, will either of you ever think to use the door?" Lucy said, exasperated. "He's in here, Happy! There's a fish for you on the counter from the early market."

The blue Exceed flew into the front room at top speed and nearly collided face first into the counter. He joined them at their table, new fish held tight in his paws as he settled in to eat. "Thank you, Lucy! Raw fish is my favorite!"

"I'm glad, now eat up!"

"Aye!"

Their chatter subsided as the trio completed their morning meal. The conversation picked up quickly as they discussed who they would pick up first on their quest to reinstate the guild.

"Well," Lucy grabbed her book of notes from the other room. "After looking over my notes, I know for a fact where Cana, Wendy and the Raijinshu are each located. They have more or less settled down but Wendy and Carla could be out on a job, so their exact location will be up in the air."

"Let's go get Carla back first!" Happy interjected excitedly. "Wendy and Carla will want to come back. They love Fairy Tail."

Natsu smiled in agreement. "Let's save Freed and the others for later. I doubt they would want to come back unless Laxus asked them anyway."

"What about Cana? If anything, her new bar would be a great place to have people gather to meet." Lucy pulled out a map. "They're calling her the 'Siren of Cerberus' these days. I guess all of the Quatro Cerberus guys spend most of their free time in the bar because of her."

"Sounds good to me!" Natsu scarfed down the last of his remaining sandwich. "Let's go!"

They spent the rest of their morning gathering provisions and plotting their route. When they passed by the rubble that was once the guild hall, they stopped in respect for the once great hall. By the time the sun had reached midday, they were ready to go find their first guild member and bring her home.

* * *

 **A/N: If you are here, I am grateful. You have made it through two chapters and did not give up on me. I made this chapter a bit shorter because it was primarily some background building. I am trying to build the characters through their interactions but this one required a bit more finesse.**

 **More action to come in the near future!**

 **Your reviews are precious to me. Thank you!**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

It took Lucy and Natsu the better part of three days to reach the lively town that Cana was rumored to be working in. Natsu had insisted that they walk the whole way but after a day and a half, Lucy threatened to leave him behind unless he joined her on the coach she hired. Happy was more than willing to oblige, but it wasn't until they were on their way that Natsu ran after them and jumped on.

Their driver dropped them off a short ways out of the town, about an hour walk he told them, saying that his own destination was in another direction. Lucy whined about her feet while Natsu came down from his nausea and Happy floated above them careless to their woes.

They heard the town before they turned the last bend and it came into view. Cheering and cajoling rose to greet the darkening sky and the trio as they approached. It seemed like there was a festival going on in the town square.

"Excuse me," Lucy asked the first person they encountered. "What is happening here?"

A short elderly woman took Lucy by the hand and danced her around with more agility than Lucy had expected from the aged lady. "The town is throwing a party for the guild, m'lady! They just beat off another wave of the bandits that have been troubling us these past few years. It's always lively when we come out on top!"

Lucy arched her eyebrow and glanced in Natsu's direction. He shrugged and looked on towards the town square.

"Hey lady, are there any bouts at these things? I'd love to get my hands on a good fight right now." Natsu rolled his shoulders, stretching out his muscles.

"Oh certainly. The boys from the guild always end up in some sort of scuffle after they've had a few rounds. Head in to the Broken Window and you'll find our boys." The old lady toddled off on her own, leaving the two mages confused in her wake.

"Who names a bar 'Broken Window'?" Natsu asked rhetorically as they gazed up at the wooden sign. It had taken them fifteen minutes to elbow their way through the crowd before they reached the place the old woman had mentioned.

"It sounds like a bar that Fairy Tail could appreciate with the amount of destruction we cause on a normal day," Lucy quipped back. "I bet they replace fewer tables than we do."

Lucy pulled open the heavy wooden door and they were met with an explosive din. The bar was in the midst of a riot. Chairs were being brandished, heads were locked under arms, and magic was being cast about recklessly. A breeze crossed Lucy's cheek as Natsu dove into the fray, his bag dropped haphazardly on the ground behind him.

Loud, jovial laughter rose over the noise and a shout encouraged the newcomers through the door. There standing on the bar above it all, was Cana Alberona with a tankard of ale held high above her head.

"Cana!" Lucy cried. She pulled Natsu's bag through the door with her and headed towards the bar.

"Lucy!" Cana reached down and pulled Lucy up onto the bar to join her. Wrapping her arms around Lucy like a lover, she slurred, "I can't believe you're here! It's so good to see you!"

"Why is everyone fighting?" Lucy had to shout to be heard.

"Why not?" Cana cheered, lifting her glass as a rather burly man was launched into the front window. There was a boo from the crowd when the window remained in one piece. "How are we going to live up to our name if you don't break the damn window, boys? Put your backs into it!"

Lucy could only watch, awed by the spectacle before her. She could see Natsu's pink hair moving through the sea of brawling bodies only to disappear and reappear further in. Happy was hovering overhead, cheering on his fire-breathing companion. _At least he hasn't burnt the place down yet._

Eventually, many of the fighters were either knocked unconscious or limped off to tend to their wounds and get another drink. Cana started taking small bets with other locals on who would come out on top. Lucy could not believe what she was seeing before her. It was like she was back at the guild but she only recognized a few faces. She saw Natsu take a massive punch to the gut only to swing wildly and knock his assailant across the room.

"He's not even using his magical power yet," Cana observed. They were sitting on the bar, legs dangling as men slumped beneath them. She took a gulp out of her mug of ale. "He really is something, isn't he Lucy?"

"Yeah." Lucy breathed and coughed, the stench of sweat and adrenaline settled in a heady fog across the bar. "You should have seen him at the Games. Took the whole place down in a matter of seconds."

"That was Natsu?" Cana crowed with delight. "Oh man we heard about that all the way out here! The whole arena is completely wrecked again! Ghaaa I missed this kid."

A loud victorious shout echoed across the bar as many conversations came to a standstill. Lucy and Cana looked back towards the fighting circle and saw Natsu standing atop a pile of unconscious, battered men.

"I am undefeated!" he cackled maniacally, fire spouting from his mouth as he spoke. He looked over at Lucy and raised his fists in triumph. "That felt amazing!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled at him in return.

"Good job, Natsu!" Cana called out. She was counting her way through a wad of cash. "I knew you'd make me a ton of cash the minute I saw you!"

"CANA!" Natsu leapt off of his victory mound and trotted to their place on the bar. "I did not know you were here! Buy me a beer!"

"Buy it yourself! I have to keep this place afloat somehow." Cana smacked his hand from the bar.

Natsu pouted. "You just said I made you a load of money. That should buy me something!"

Cana rolled her legs to the other side of the bar and jumped down. She fiddled with a glass out of sight and handed him a cup filled to the brim with a bright clear liquid. Without a second thought, Natsu knocked back the drink and let out a refreshed sigh. "Water is great too."

Cana laughed and handed him a pint of ale. "On the house. One for you too, Lucy."

Lucy sipped on her mug and eyed Cana's natural stance behind the bar. She had not seen anyone else working there yet. "Is this your bar, Cana?"

"The one and only," Cana replied, toasting to Lucy and Natsu. She looked into her cup, curious at its lowering level of content. "It's a living, I guess."

"At least it is when she isn't drinking half of her own product," came a slurred voice from the other end of the bar.

A man with slick black hair pulled into a tight head knot sat a few seats down, a gourd hanging lightly from a strap at his waist. Dark blue armored plates covered his shoulders but exposed the rest of his stomach, chest and back where a black guild symbol stood out against his light toned skin.

"Back for another refill, Bacchus?" Cana slurred. Lucy noticed a dusting of pink brush across Cana's cheeks.

"Can't get the good stuff anywhere else in this town, sweetheart," he grinned and shuffled closer to the barmaid. Cana took the gourd that Bacchus held out for her and carefully tipped in an unnamed brown liquid into it.

"Only the best for you, chump."

Bacchus took a sip and then peered into the tiny hole of his gourd. "Hell, woman, this is foul."

"Bottom of the barrel, my friend. Drink up. I'm closing early."

Bacchus eyed Lucy and Natsu and nodded in recognition. "Understood. Come by later on, yeah?"

"Maybe." Cana sniffed indignantly and motioned for him to shoo.

Bacchus grinned and saluted to Cana with two fingers not holding his gourd. "Stay beautiful, bar maiden. Until we meet again."

Lucy laughed as the drunken fighter swaggered out of the bar. Natsu turned back to Cana after the door closed.

"Why wasn't he in the brawl? I wanted a match against him!"

Cana sniggered into her ale. "It got too predictable. I banned him from the fights because no one would be against him. If I had known you were going to show up I would have put him in. Not sure if you can hold your own against him yet."

"I could too! I wanna fight him! I'm all fired up now!" Natsu moved to chase after the S-Class mage.

"Natsu, we're not here to fight." Lucy put a hand on Natsu's shoulder, stilling his departure. "We're here to talk to Cana, remember?"

Natsu met Lucy's eyes and smiled, rubbing his hand at the back of his head. "Right. Sorry Lucy. I got carried away."

"You guys were looking for me?" Cana cut in. "Why?"

"We're trying to rebuild Fairy Tail!" Natsu declared, fist pumping skyward. "We want you to come back to Magnolia with us."

"We want to bring the guild back together, Cana, and you are the first person we wanted to ask." Lucy added diplomatically.

"No thank you." Cana grabbed some empty glasses from the bar and began to clean them, not meeting Lucy or Natsu's gaze.

Lucy was stunned. She knew it would be challenging to get everyone back on board, but a flat 'No' right at the start of their adventure was not what she expected. "But Cana..."

"I'm happy here and I have a good thing going." Cana turned her back to them and started wiping down and resetting the tables around the room. "Last I checked, the guild hall was still a pile of dust and the town is just getting back on its feet. I can't just ditch a good gig because you want to try for something everyone else might not want to do."

"It wasn't any of our ideas to break the guild up in the first place!" Natsu rebutted.

"You weren't even there, Natsu!" Cana spat, spinning to face them. Her cheeks were flushed with all the drink she had consumed that evening and the emotions flooding her body. "Master said we were done, so we're done!"

"We're not done!" Natsu fought back. "We're nakama! You can't just forget that."

Happy flew over to the safety of Lucy's arms. She had taken a few steps back to distance herself from the pending fight.

"Everyone else forgot me." Tears brimmed in Cana's eyes. "Even my old man hasn't come back to see if I'm OK. Fairy Tail is over!"

"Then why do you still have your guild crest?" Natsu pointed to the guild mark clearly imprinted on the left side of her exposed waist. Cana didn't respond. Instead, she hugged herself, bent over as if Natsu's words were hard lashes against her skin. "If you are done with us, then why don't you erase it?"

"Natsu, stop," Lucy said gently but Natsu ignored her.

"Stop pretending like Fairy Tail is over! I won't accept that!" he continued. "We're right here telling you to come home!"

"I can't!" Cana shouted, tears falling freely. "He told us to get lost and not come back! Old guild members wander through this town every few weeks but we can't even talk about it! You left before any of us so what right do you have to tell me to come back? I was one of the last ones to leave! What fucking right do you have, Natsu Dragneel?"

"I know I wasn't there," Natsu brought his tone down to a gentler volume. Lucy could see the muscles in his arms tensing like he wanted to hit something. "I'm trying to make my peace with that. Right now, all I can do is try to bring it back. To bring Fairy Tail back into action. I want to go on jobs with my friends again. I want my nakama to be whole again. I don't know why Gramps told us to get lost, but it's not right."

"What if no one else wants to come back?" Cana whispered but Natsu's sharp ears picked up every word. "I don't want to get my hopes up only to have everything I love crash down around me again."

"Then we will find the ones who want to come home." Natsu declared like it was a simple thing. He gave Cana a wide, toothy grin. "We'll drag the others back in chains if we have to."

"We can't rebuild the guild hall on our own, Cana." Lucy added with a soft smile. "We need you too."

Cana's tears fell swiftly. Lucy stepped forward, releasing Happy, and embraced her crumbling friend.

"We're nakama, Cana," Lucy whispered as she rested her cheek against Cana's brown wavy hair. "No matter how far away we go, that fact will never change."

Cana held on to Lucy as though her life depended on it and cried out in loud wracking sobs that echoed in the empty bar.

As her tears subsided, Cana tried to regain her composure but with the heavy night of drinking and the outburst of strong emotions, her energy was sapped. Lucy helped her up the back stairs and into the living space she kept above the bar. After making her drink a glass of water and making sure she would be okay for the evening, Lucy promised they would come back the following day.

"Take your time. Just promise to think about it after you wake up, okay?"

Cana nodded and headed into her bathroom, bidding Lucy goodnight.

Lucy, Natsu, and Happy left Cana's bar through the back door, ensuring that all entrances were sealed and secure before they departed. They wandered the streets of the town they were visiting and stopped at a food vendor to grab a bite to eat. The night was still young and the streets were still full.

The town's only inn was full, but the manager directed them to a small homestead on the outskirts of town that always offered a warm bed to weary travelers. The homeowners graciously opened their doors to the traveling trio but apologized profusely at only having one room left to accommodate them.

"It's no big deal," Lucy attempted to wave off their frantic apologies as they tried to offer their own room to her and sleep in the barn themselves.

Natsu grinned. "We're used to sleeping in the dirt, so four walls is good enough for us."

"But there's only one bed!" The lady of the house looked appalled.

"Natsu can sleep on the floor. It'll be fine!" Lucy was insistent and ignored Natsu's teasing glare.

After relenting to their guests, the lady's husband guided them to their spare bedroom. It was sparsely furnished, but after three days on the road Lucy was excited for the prospect of good night's sleep.

"Is there a bath that I could use? I don't mean to be intrusive." Lucy asked politely.

"Yes, this way," the man smiled. "The door directly across from here hosts our only bathroom on the second floor. The Misses and I sleep downstairs, so make yourself at home. Our other guests are out enjoying the festival so you should have some privacy for a while."

"Thank you very much!" A private bath sounded perfect.

After the man had shown them in, he apologized again, only this time it was for having unscented wick candles to light their room instead of 'fancy city lighting'.

"Light lacrimas just don't come along that often in this town so we save them for the streets and businesses," he explained.

"Really, sir, we do not mind." Lucy was itching to take her bath.

"Okay. If you need anything, we're just downstairs. We'll be up for a little while longer." The man bowed and headed back down the stairs.

Lucy closed to door to their shared room and looked around. The bed was a good size bigger than the one she kept at home and the sheets looked freshly laundered. It was positioned under a large window that arched up to the high vaulted ceiling. There were four candles spread around the room but the night sky was bright enough that they did not need to light one yet. Lucy set her things down on the desk set against the adjoining wall and pulled a small travel towel from her bag.

"I'll be back in a bit," she told them.

"Aye," said Happy from his perch on the bed. Natsu said nothing but waived a hand to acknowledge that he had heard her.

Lucy opted to take a shower at the last minute. The idea of a bath by candlelight seemed a little too intimate to take in a stranger's home. _I'll have to try this out when I get back to my apartment. My new bath is perfect for it!_

As she returned to their room, she entered to see Natsu leaning up against the edge of the window staring out into the night. He had lit one of the candles on the sill but ignored it. Lucy slipped a large shirt over her fresh undergarments and walked over to his side. Happy was already snoozing away one of the bed's pillows.

"I was proud of you today, Natsu," she said softly, leaning her head against his shoulder. The night was clear and she could see a pair of deer grazing in the outer fields beyond the property.

He looked down at her curiously. "Why?"

"You kept your temper with Cana," she replied with a gentle smile. "You told her what she needed to hear and understood that she was not saying no because she doesn't love us but because she's hurting and you backed off."

Natsu followed her gaze back out to the grazing pair. "I said what was in my heart, that's all."

"I wanted to acknowledge it anyway. You've changed a lot this last year."

"You're still as sappy as ever. Haven't changed a bit," he teased.

Lucy slapped the back of her hand against his chest with a laugh. He grabbed her hand and held it there. When he spoke again, Lucy heard a subtle tone of worry beneath the words "What if she's right, Lucy? What if our guild mates don't want Fairy Tail to come back?"

Lucy had rarely ever heard Natsu doubt himself so she pondered over her answer before replying. Tightening her grip on his hand she spoke, "I think you had the gist of it before. We'll bring them all back in chains if we have to."

"I'm serious, Luce."

"So am I. We're facing an uphill battle here, Natsu. Cana is proof of that. Everyone is in a lot of pain over the Master's decision and some are going to need more convincing than others. There has always been an open door in and out of Fairy Tail. They just need to be reminded that there is still a door to walk through."

Natsu released the air from his lungs in a long sigh. He felt Lucy flex the hand he held to loosen her stiffening joints. He noticed the awkward angle he was holding her hand at and released it but smiled as she grabbed the hand still hanging at his side. "Thanks for fighting this one with me, Lucy."

"It's what we do, Natsu. We're nakama and you're my partner." Lucy gave his hand a gentle tug. "Now come on. Let's get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

They moved away from the window together but Natsu veered back to their packs to start unraveling his sleeping bag. Lucy contemplated his gallantry and suppressed a laugh.

"Come on. The bed is big enough for both of us without making it weird." Natsu raised an eyebrow at her. Lucy was grateful that the room was too dark for him to see her blush. "Plus, the room is cold and your body heat will help me sleep."

"You sure? I don't want a kick to the head first thing in the morning."

"I promise not to kick you."

"Okay." Lucy saw his teeth flash in a wide grin. "If you do, I'll exact my revenge."

Lucy shivered at the thought. His revenge plots were downright devious. "I promise."

Natsu shrugged off his vest as he watched Lucy climb into the bed and shift to the side that was flesh against the wall and window. She leaned across the foot of the bed and for a moment her face was illuminated by the light of the candle he had lit before she quickly blew it out and laid down.

Natural light from the night sky filtered in through the bedroom window and cast long shadows across the floor as Natsu made his way to the bed. As he settled beneath the blankets, he froze when Lucy turned in to get closer.

"Lucy your toes are colder than Gray!" he hissed as she pressed her feet against his shin.

"Shhh. Warm Natsu, let me sleep," she murmured with a giggle.

Natsu rolled his eyes before closing them, letting his exhaustion take over and sleep settled into his bones like an old friend.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you for taking the time to get here. Please review! Your comments help me improve!**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Natsu woke to the bright sun and Lucy's arms clamped firmly around his waist. His arms were similarly tucked, one around her shoulders and the other rested lightly over her hips. Her skin was cool against his and it felt nice against his natural warm temperature. In an effort to get more comfortable, he noticed that she had slung her leg across his in her sleep. Uncertain as to how they ended up like this, Natsu could not help the quiet purring in his chest expressing the ease he felt.

He closed his eyes again, content to relax for a moment longer. After a few minutes, he could not shake the feeling that someone was watching him. He opened his eyes again and saw that Lucy had woken up too.

"Morning," he grinned.

"Good morning," she replied before yawning. "Have you been awake long?"

"Only a few minutes." Natsu lifted the arm on her waist as she began disentangling their limbs.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "I guess I got a little cold in the night and latched on."

"You're a heat thief. We always knew that."

Lucy huffed and clambered over him to get out of the bed. She grabbed a smaller bag from her pack and ran out to the bathroom across the hall. She shut the door and slid down to the floor, cheeks as pink as Natsu's hair.

I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I actually let him in the bed willingly last night. What was I thinking?! Of course I can't control my instincts while I'm sleeping. He's just so warm! But waking up with his chest in my face and smelled UGH Lucy you can't think these things. You're just going to have to stop. You had a really good dream and woke up to a better view but we're on a mission. We can deal with these thoughts later. Okay? Okay.

Still unconvinced by her own determination, Lucy brushed her teeth, combed her hair into a single side ponytail, and brushed on a coat of lip gloss before heading back in to the room to dress. Natsu passed by her to use the restroom himself and she had another moment of privacy.

"Happy went down to see what's good to eat for breakfast around here," he mentioned as he walked by.

"Thanks."

Natsu shrugged and shut the bathroom door behind himself. He showered off quickly, hoping to start the day feeling fresh.

I never thought I'd like body contact that much. Usually I want to fight everyone when they get too close but this morning was nice. Probably shouldn't get used to it with Lucy though even if she is super clingy when she gets cold. I don't know why Gray always complained about Juvia wanting to be close to him all the time. Ice prick doesn't get it, I guess.

Natsu toweled off and pulled on his pants and vest. Either way, it was the best night's sleep I've had in a while.

* * *

Happy flew back up to the room as the pair got ready for their day with plenty of suggestions for their morning meal. As they headed down with their packs in tow, their hosts offered to let them keep their belongings in a closet downstairs and come back for them later. Grateful for the opportunity to move around with fewer restrictions, Natsu and Lucy locked away their things and headed out to the main square.

"Let's look around town," Lucy suggested and pointed to the vendors who were bringing out their goods to meet the morning rush.

"Food first. Then we can look." Natsu's stomach gave a loud growl in agreement.

"Aye, Lucy, we need to eat." Happy poked his belly with a playful frown.

Lucy puffed her cheeks in defiance but relented nonetheless. "You're right. I'm hungry too. It's just so pretty here."

She was right. The town had decorated the square with a multitude of flowers and ribbons to celebrate the summer festival. Glass bobbles were suspended from vines in various colors and, although they were extinguished during the day, strings of lacrima lights decorated posts and hung overhead.

"I think those bobbles and string lights would look amazing in Magnolia," Lucy marveled, pointing overhead. "Maybe we should get some for when we finish rebuilding the guild hall."

Natsu looped his arm around Lucy's outstretched one, guiding her towards a vendor selling steaming plates of breakfast foods. "That's a great idea. We can find a stall that sells them after we provide this one with our patronage."

They ate their food at a bench they found on the edge of the square. The morning was cool so Lucy sat close to Natsu to bask in the heat that ebbed naturally from his skin. Their food was gone in a flash, hunger finally catching up to them. Unsatisfied and ready for more, Natsu and Happy ran off to find another serving with Lucy trailing slowly behind them. Lucy felt a peace settle over her as she watched them flit from booth to booth to try the different free samples of food that each one offered. They were like children at an amusement park, buzzing with uncontainable delight.

She was distracted after a while when a light reflecting off a nearby jewelry stand caught her eye and she wandered over to see what the local artisan market had on display. A set of rose quartz gems peaked her interest and she asked to take a closer look. As the vendor held out the dainty necklace, she saw that the pink stones were encased in a wire of silver banding shaped to look like a vine of leaves and stem.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "The craftsmanship is so delicate."

"Thank you miss," the gentleman at the booth smiled. He shifted the metals and stoned to show the flexibility of each link. "It's one of my experimental pieces, I'll admit. The stones aren't worth much but I was hoping to make them look alive."

"You succeeded. This is marvelous." Lucy eyed the piece longingly but felt the mental strings draw taunt on her purse. "I hope it finds a great home."

Understanding passed across the man's face and he started to put the necklace away. "You're the first person to give it a look, miss. Hopefully your admiration will bring me luck!"

A small pang clenched at Lucy's heart as she was reminded briefly of her parents and their love. Lucky Lucy Heartfilia.

"Lucy!" Natsu called, running over. "We should head back to Cana's and see if any of the other guild members have passed through recently!"

Lucy took one last look at the piece and sighed. Maybe I can come back for it or another like it.

"Thank you for your time, sir!" she waved and followed Natsu and Happy away towards Cana's bar.

As they approached the Broken Window, Natsu stopped and grinned. "Hey Lucy, I think I saw a food cart I haven't tried yet. You and Happy head inside. I'll be right back."

"O-oh, okay."

"Bring me back a fish!" Happy called as Natsu ran back the way they had come. "They better have fish or he should have just left it alone."

"You guys only think about food," Lucy grumbled. She did not appreciate being dragged away from pretty things only to be ditched.

She pushed on the bar's front door and was pleased to find it unlocked. The smell of freshly baked bread greeted them as they walked in.

"Cana?" Happy called out. He flew towards a side chamber that Lucy had not noticed the night before. She followed when she heard him gasp. "Who turned Cana into a lady?"

"Happy, don't be rude," Lucy chided. "Cana has always been a -."

The sight before her stopped Lucy in her tracks, words drying up in her mouth. The side chamber was a kitchen stocked with a stove and two giant ovens. Cana was dressed in a blue bikini top and brown shorts which were both covered by a long white apron. Her hair was pulled away from her face and flour dusted her nose and brow. She held a large tray and hoisted a large fresh loaf of bread across the room to an adjoining counter top.

"Cana that smells heavenly!" Lucy admired the loaf, suddenly feeling hungry again.

"Oh hey Lucy. I'll be out in a minute. I'm getting ready for the lunch crowd. Go help yourself to a drink and I'll join you in a minute."

Lucy took a glass from the bar and poured herself some water. Happy nosed around trying to snoop for anything he could find.

A few quiet minutes went by, the silence only broken by Cana's intermittent curses and scraping sounds coming from the kitchen. A cool draft blew in from the front as the door opened to reveal Natsu, smiling like he had won a grand prize.

"Where have you been?" Lucy questioned, arching her eyebrow.

"I got a job for the afternoon while I was out," he gave her a smirk. "I felt the need to do something productive and the guy offered so I said yes."

"Oh! That's great Natsu! What's the job?" Lucy was pleasantly surprised by Natsu's initiative to keep their funds refreshed.

"A miner in the square said his tunnels have been infested with beasts. It's a small job but his magical gear isn't built for defending against monsters. The pay isn't much but he said we're welcome to what he can spare."

"Okay! When do we leave?"

"I figured after our stop here. We can discuss more game plans on the way. It's really close by apparently."

"Are you guys talking about the old Silver Stone mine?" Cana came in with a platter of fresh sliced bread and soft cheese. A small bowl of freshly cut fruit balanced in the crook of her arm. "That place has been a nightmare for this town lately."

"Why, what happened?" Lucy took a slice of the offered bread when Cana set it down.

"This place used to prosper from the silver ore they mined in the higher tunnels and the gemstones they collected from the deeper caverns. Some sort of creature moved in a few months ago and its spawn has been making the mines impregnable. The miners can't get the good materials so trade has been down. They started hosting these festivals as a way to keep tourism up but without the mines, the town is dying and they couldn't offer enough to tempt any local mages to go down there."

"That's terrible!" Lucy thought back to the merchant she had met earlier and wondered if he too was suffering from this plight.

"I've tried to help on my own," Cana continued. "My magic is not like my dad's. My cards are not good in solo combat like you and Natsu."

"We'd be happy to help, right Lucy?" Natsu jumped up in excitement.

"Absolutely."

"Awesome! I'm getting fired up! Let's go kick some monsters out of a cave! Come on Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy perched on Natsu's shoulder with equal determination shining in his eyes.

"We should get going then." Lucy stood and returned her used glass to the sink behind the bar. "We'll check in with you when we get back, okay Cana?"

"Have fun storming the mines. Don't bring the mountain down on top of us Natsu or I'll kill you." Cana gave them a piercing glare reminiscent of Erza's formidable frown.

"Aye, sir!" all three replied in unison.

* * *

The walk to the mining caves was short. In less than an hour, they stood at the entrance where a gravity and lacrima powered mine cart waited on the tracks.

"I don't wanna." Natsu was sitting in the dirt, his arms crossed, refusing to get into the cart.

"Me either but I also don't want to walk when we can get there just fine in a fraction of the time using this." Lucy tugged at Natsu's vest with little success.

Frustrated, Lucy threw up her hands and got into the cart by herself. Reaching out for the lever that would release the breaks, she barked, "Happy! Either get Natsu into the cart or fly down after it."

Natsu glared as the Exceed grabbed his shirt and chucked him into the mine cart. Happy's maneuverability while carrying a larger load had increased significantly in the last year. Still, the Exceed landed beside Natsu and slumped into a corner, exhausted. Before the dragon slayer could react, Lucy pulled the lever that launched them into sudden darkness.

Lucy's screams drove a nail into Natsu's nausea. He did not even have the energy to feel resentful towards his blue friend for his betrayal. Liquid fire oozed from Natsu's mouth as it hung over the edge of their falling death trap. He watched passively as the fire left a glowing trail up the path they were descending.

 _This is the worst day ever. Today is the day I die._

Lucy's screaming came to a stop but the mine cart kept going. Her knuckles whitened as she held on for dear life. Over twists and turns, the cart went, jostling its passengers about with no remorse.

 _I'm sorry, Natsu_ , she thought, unable to scream again. _We should have walked. We're going to die. This is awful. I don't want to go out like this!_

Finally, the cart slowed to a crawl and a loud clank echoed as they were locked into place. No one moved.

"Is is over?" Happy whispered from his corner.

"I think so." Lucy looked around but saw only darkness. Her voice was hoarse from the screaming. "Natsu? You still there?"

Natsu replied with a groan. It would take him a while to recover this time. Lucy rose to her feet unsteadily, still gripping the edges of the cart as though it would start again at any moment. She groped around blindly in the darkness, seeking a source of light they could use.

Fiery ooze dribbled from Natsu's mouth again, illuminating the surrounding area for a brief moment. It was enough for Lucy to find what she had been looking for; a stack of prepped torches sitting in a small wooden box. She grabbed one and held it under Natsu until it caught on the fire he was subconsciously releasing. The torch flared to life with a crackle. Lucy looked around to gather her bearings.

"Wow."

They were in a massive underground cavern that spread out in all directions. Various offshoots of tunnels had been carved into the walls, heading deeper into the mountain. Lucy stepped forward carefully and moved towards the closest tunnel on the left. She had seen a reflection from her torch light and wanted to inspect the source.

Mounted into the cavern wall was a lacrima about the size of Lucy's hand. She activated the dormant power in the lacrima with her own magic and light flooded the cave, rendering the torch unnecessary. Activating this single lacrima seemed to have triggered all the others to light up as well as lights flickered to life around the cavern.

The cave was enormous. The ceiling rose up one hundred feet or more and the entire area expanded over fifty meters. The natural formations of rock made the cavern look ominous. Roughly crafted mining gear had been left in a variety of piles next to crates full of ore and debris.

"It would have taken us all day to get down here if we'd walked," Natsu mused, looking around from his place in the cart. With Happy helping to keep him stable, Natsu made his way out of the cart. He was unsteady on his feet but quickly regained his composure. He gave Lucy a weak but reassuring smile.

"We should get moving." She did not like being out in the open with so many access points for creatures to emerge. "Did our employer say anything else about where these creatures are?"

Natsu nodded and pointed to a tunnel across the room on the right side. "He said his tunnels were linked on that side and the monster had nested in another natural pocket. They are expanding out into the other tunnels, but if we get them out now it should not be too hard."

"That makes sense." Lucy checked that her belt was secured to her waist and started to walk forward. "Let's go."

The tunnels were finely crafted. There were wooden supports and lacrima every few yards to prevent cave-ins and encouraged safety. As they walked they came across smaller hollowed out tunnels that would dead end at various depths. Lucy assumed that these were mined out veins of ore that the miners had finished excavating. She breathed a sigh of relief as they passed each one without incident.

After another half an hour or so, Natsu stopped. Not expecting the sudden change, Lucy walked into his back with a soft thud.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly.

"I smell something," Natsu replied, sniffing the air. "It smells like... hurry, something's moving up ahead."

Lucy put one hand on her keys and the other on her whip. She was itching to use her improved magical abilities in a fight. She felt more confident going into this encounter than she ever had before. "I'm ready."

Natsu noticed the eager smile that decorated Lucy's face and returned it in full. They began to move forward until Natsu signaled for another stop. Lucy could hear snuffling coming from in front of them. Holding his finger to his lips, Natsu grinned and set his hand aflame. He crouched down and started to hurry forward with Happy hanging on to his back. Lucy grabbed a key and dislodged her whip from her belt and followed close behind.

They rounded the final corner and came out into another open cave. The ceiling was much lower here than in the first area but it was still wide. The lacrima lights were sparse in this cavern and Lucy assumed they had either been broken or not installed yet. The lack of light cast long shadows across the open area.

Lucy saw a large shadow start to move on the far side of the cavern. Glowing eyes found them immediately as they entered the room, reflecting the minimal light that existed. Lucy saw long pointed teeth as long as her forearm jutting from the open mouth emerging from the shadows.

She was struck with fear and adrenaline started pumping through her body. "What is that thing?"

"Who cares?" Natsu laughed with eagerness. "I'll take it. You focus on keeping the swarm off of me, okay?"

"Swarm?" Lucy turned and saw that the floor was flooded with smaller shifting shadows. "Got it."

Natsu nodded and leapt into action. He shot across the room, bathing himself in fire, and charged at the giant beast with a roar.

Lucy focused on her targets. "OPEN! GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!"

She raised her golden key with a flourish and opened the celestial gate to summon her spiritual companion. Her bovine friend came forth with a loud "Moo!"

"Taurus," she cried. "Help me beat off the little ones and lend me your strength!"

"Anything for youuuu, miss Luuuucy," Taurus raised his axe. He eyed Lucy's figure with unabashed delight. "And youuu loooook beauuuuutiful with that hot body today!"

Rolling her eyes, Lucy pressed his key to her chest and cried, "STAR DRESS: TAURUS FORM!"

She felt a magical rush of energy as her clothes transformed and her muscles grew taunt with magically enhanced strength. She held her whip, now white with a heart shaped tip, out in front of her and lashed out at the approaching shadowy forms. Her lashes struck their marks and the creatures who were hit let out a shrill screech that pieced Lucy's ears painfully. Taurus struck out at them with blow after blow, scattering their numbers.

"FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!" Natsu crushed his fists into the beast's giant head, flames flowing out and across the creature's body. The monster roared with fury and tried to throw the dragon slayer off of its body. Natsu jumped to avoid being dislodged, flipped over in midair and brought his foot down with a wild attack. "FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW!"

The beast collapsed as its skull caved inwards. Grimacing, Natsu jumped to the ground and looked over to check on Lucy's progress.

There were more of the smaller beasts than Natsu had anticipated. They were scuttling out of tunnels to join the attack on the intruders but he noted that Lucy was holding her own quite spectacularly. Her hair was done up in two buns and her attire had changed to a cow-print bikini top and brown pants with one leg shortened up her thigh. He noticed that her belt held the celestial sign for Taurus and realized that she was using a new kind of magic.

 _I'll have to ask her to tell me about it later. It looks really cool,_ he thought, impressed by his teammate's magical prowess. A growl echoed behind him and he turned to beat his target into its final submission.

With the parent monster down, the smaller beasts seemed to enter a frenzy. Lucy attacked with as much strength as she had and borrowed what she lacked from her celestial partner. Her whip lashed out but there was a beast that moved faster than her equipment and launched itself at her face.

She saw now that it was a small creature covered in black scales. It had a round lumpy body with no visible eyes, unlike the parent. Its mouth opened to show glistening white teeth and Lucy was sure that it could sever her limbs if one was allowed to take a bite.

"Lucy Punch!" she cried and her fist connected with the beast. It howled and dropped off to lay with its other fallen brethren. Feeling frustrated with the onslaught of the swarm, she pulled out another key and called forth Sagittarius. "Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"

Taurus continued to fight as a whinny rang out and his celestial brethren joined their battle. Lucy pressed Sagittarius' key to her chest. "Lend me your skill, Sagittarius. Star Dress! Sagittarius Form!"

Within seconds she was reequipped in a startling twin tail coat and sleeves while holding an ornate bow and arrow. "Sagittarius, there are too many of them. Help me take out as many as you can!"

"I will do my best, moshi moshi." Sagittarius and Lucy drew their bows in unison and fired at the swarm. Sagittarius released volley after volley of arrows as Taurus continued to protect Lucy from closer ranged attacks. In minutes they had defeated the oncoming hoard and there was silence in the cavern.

Sweat dripped from Lucy's skin as she took in their surroundings. Natsu was staring at her with a strange look on his face and her spirits stood stoically beside her. She was proud of her warriors and grateful she had been able to fight at their side.

"Thank you, my friends. You can return now." She held their keys to close their gates to the celestial realm.

"Goodbye, Lucy. It has been a pleasure, moshi moshi." Sagittarius bowed to her, the horse head on his outfit staring wide eyed until he disappeared through his gate. Taurus gave her a wink and left through his own.

Lucy knelt on the ground, chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath. She released her Star Dress form and felt the drain her use of magical energy had cost her. She smiled over towards Natsu and gave him a thumbs up.

"We did it!" she cried happily.

Natsu laughed wholeheartedly and proceeded to burn up the carcasses around them. It would be a much more unpleasant job to leave for the miners. One of the giant monster's teeth would not burn so he pocketed the memento, intent on adding it to his collection back home in Magnolia.

"Let's head back and collect our reward," he said when he was done. He offered Lucy his hand and helped her to her feet.

"Back to the mine cart," she agreed. Natsu's smile disappeared immediately and he responded with another lamented groan.

* * *

 **A/N: I can't believe the responses that I am getting for this story already. Over 30 followers and 16 favorites by Chapter 3 and we're just getting started! Thank you for sticking with me, loves.**

 **03/2017 - A/N: Updated for atrocious spelling errors. I couldn't leave it alone. Next chapter coming momentarily.**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

The journey back to town was uneventful and quiet, save for Natsu's repetitive curses about the mine cart. Lucy counted themselves lucky that he was too weak to destroy the thing after their magic propulsion ride back to the surface. When the trio arrived back at the initial loading dock, they kissed the ground in relief. They sat beneath a nearby tree to rest while Lucy tried to help Natsu come down from this new wave of nausea. Happy napped quietly beside them while he waited.

"Fishy fish fish," the Exceed mumbled in his sleep.

Natsu had his head in Lucy's lap again and she deliberately ran her fingers through his hair at his insistence. The afternoon sun poked through the leaves on the tree and tickled Lucy's nose. She raised her face to meet the warm light and appreciated that she could enjoy these simple moments.

They made the walk back to town quickly, discussing the events of the day and their plans to search for their other guild members. Natsu wanted to go after Gray and challenge him to a fight with his strengthened power. Lucy was of a like mind but did not want to fight him. She thought that Gray would be helpful in helping them locate more of their teammates.

"I hope Cana has seen others pass through town," Lucy mused. "Any lead would be helpful right now and I don't think we should go hiking aimlessly through the ice and snow to look for him."

"Stupid Gray," Natsu grumbled, his stomach was still sensitive and made him irritable.

"You can't be too mad at him. He lost his father for the second time in his life last year." Lucy felt the familiar tug of sorrow that loss had left in her heart. "He probably left to keep his head on straight. You two are a lot more alike than you'll ever admit."

"Yeah I know, I know. It's just easier to want to fight him." Natsu grinned, trying not to let his own grief come out.

Lucy slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently. She understood Natsu's avoidance and did not push further. She started to walk faster and pulled him onward. Their destination was in sight and she wanted to eat.

When they entered the town, sun was beginning to set and the town was alive with strings of twinkling lights and cheerful voices. They passed through the crowd and headed straight for the Broken Window. Lucy expected to walk in to another brawl but was happy when the mood inside was more subdued than before.

"You guys look like shit," Cana called from her place on the bar. She had taken off her white apron from the morning and her hair was loose across her shoulders. "I'm glad you made it back in one piece."

"They were crazy, Cana! You should have seen it!" Happy flew over to her and sat on the bar.

"Get your butt off the bar, Happy," Cana reprimanded him. He jumped up with a salute and an apologetic bow.

"He's right though," Natsu piped up as he and Lucy took two open seats. "You should have seen Lucy. She was incredible."

"It wasn't that special. Just trying to pull my weight." Lucy couldn't help the blush that crept proudly onto her cheeks.

Natsu waived off her attempt at modesty. "Don't be ridiculous. That magic was awesome! She was all, celestial spirit! Transformation! Celestial spirit! Transformation! She just kept beating off all the monster's spawn. There were so many!"

"Transformation?" Cana arched a brow at Lucy. "Did you change your magic?"

Lucy blushed further and laced her fingers together nervously. "I got tired of feeling like I was hiding behind my spirits and wanted to learn how to be more involved when I ask them to fight with me. They have been helping me increase my magical power so I can support a Star Dress Form which works a lot like Erza's 'The Knight' magic. My spirits are now able to share a bit of their power with me so I can be more proactive on jobs."

"It was awesome!" Happy insisted. "I didn't have to fly in and pull her out once!"

"Hey!" Lucy glared at the cat who jumped back out of her reach.

Natsu grinned and Cana laughed. Their energy was contagious and the room began to liven up.

"Hey Natsu?" Lucy remembered something. "Shouldn't we go pick up that reward before the booths close down for the night?"

Natsu jumped up and headed for the door. "You're right! I forgot. You stay here and Happy and I will go get food, too."

"Okay!" Lucy turned back to Cana and gave her friend a soft smile. Cana's eyes drifted down in anticipation of Lucy's pending questions. "Hey Cana?"

"Yeah?" Cana picked at a spot on the bar with her fingernail.

"Has anyone else from the guild come through town recently?"

Cana stared at the blonde celestial mage. That was not the question she had been expecting. "Let me think for a moment... Laki wandered through a few months ago with Max and Reedus. I think they're still living in Magnolia but they're gone a lot on miscellaneous jobs they happen to pick up. A small band of Sabertooth guild members came through a few weeks ago. They brought news of Mira, Elfman and Lisanna working with the new Council to eradicate any remnants of Tartaros. I think they were last headed towards Clover Town."

"Clover Town, huh? I'm surprised we didn't pass anyone in Magnolia, even though we weren't there for very long. Thanks Cana!"

Cana shrugged. "It might be nothing. No one really sits in one place for long 'sides me."

"Well you just give us a place to come back to." Lucy stood and headed towards the door. "I have to go find Natsu. We have to decide who to go after first. Thanks again, Cana! We'll be back soon!"

"Later."

The sun had departed from the sky when Lucy stepped back outside but the square was still brightly illuminated. She immediately noticed a commotion towards the far side of the square where they had taken their breakfast. _What's going on?_

Lucy wandered into the crowd and stopped short when she saw Natsu standing on their breakfast bench, speaking to a large crowd of people. He was regaling the crowd with the story of how they had defeated the beasts in the mines and the townspeople were cheering and hugging one another.

"You've saved our town!" cried a woman with a pickax at her hip.

"We will prosper again!" cried another, a man who wore dirt on his clothes.

"Thank you, sir," a man bowed towards Natsu. "You have saved us all."

Natsu saw Lucy in the crowd and beckoned her forward. "I wouldn't have done it without my team!"

The people pushed her forward and awed over their bravery at facing the creatures that had plagued their town for so long. Lucy tried to wave them back but they pressed on until she fell back onto the bench.

A familiar face stepped forward, his hands clutching a small purse and a box. It was the jewelry vendor that she had met this morning. _What is he doing here?_

The man approached Natsu and grasped his hand. "Thank you for taking our job request. I'm sorry it is not much for your trouble, but here is what the people could afford to pay in our gratitude. Our town will bloom once more thanks to your generosity."

He handed the bag and the box to Natsu with a generous bow to them both. He turned to Lucy and grasped her hand, applying a chaste kiss to her guild mark. "Thank you."

As the man wandered off, so did the gathered crowd. The mages had been paid and thanked for their service and the townspeople could resume their work until the festival came to an end for the night. Natsu and Lucy walked to the nearest food stand and bought their dinner.

"Finally," Natsu sighed as they sat down to eat. "I'm hungry enough to eat ten whole meals."

"You eat that much on an average day anyway," Lucy teased. "Where's Happy?"

"He went to make sure that our room was still available. We never went back for our stuff and at this rate we'll have to stay another night."

"That was nice of him. Wasn't he hungry?" It was not like Happy to go off when Natsu was eating.

"He grabbed a fish on our way to find the miners. He's probably sitting on the bed eating as we speak."

"Gross." Lucy's face twisted with displeasure. "He'd better not get any on the sheets."

Natsu chuckled lightly. He imagined Lucy's rage at finding a fish head on the bed and shivered. Angry Lucy was never good but he trusted Happy. At least if he was wrong her kick would not be aimed at his head this time.

When they were done, Lucy let Natsu know what Cana had told her about other guild members passing through town. "No word on Gray. It might be best for us to head back to Magnolia, find Laki and any others still living there and convince them to start reconstructing the guild hall while we do the footwork traveling around. After that we'll move on to Clover Town and find Mirajane, Elfman and Lisanna."

"Sounds like the best we've got so far," Natsu agreed. "It sucks we can't head for the mountains since we're so close but we don't know if Gray is even in this range so using our time wisely is a better bet."

"It's a plan then. Let's go tell Cana that we're leaving in the morning and we'll come say goodbye before we go."

They made their way back to the bar just as a man came flying towards them, destroying the window. The nameless man slumped lifelessly where he landed at their feet but Lucy confirmed that he was still breathing before they headed inside.

The din that greeted their ears was deafening. Natsu grinned and jumped into the fray immediately, ignoring Lucy's attempts to restrain him. She looked around and saw Cana off towards the door to her kitchen. Her face was red and her eyebrows were pinched. _She looks like she's arguing with someone._

Lucy had to move closer to the bar to get a better angle on the person Cana was speaking with. When she saw the dark blue armor and the white capped bun she knew immediately that the alcohol loving bar owner was arguing with Bacchus. Lucy watched quietly, trusting her friend to take care of herself. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Bacchus reach a hand forward to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Cana's ear and lean forward to whisper something to her. When he leaned back, Cana's eyes were full of tears and she wrapped her arms around the drunken Palm Magic fighter.

Lucy felt guilty for studying their exchange from across the room. She had imagined that something like this would happen when they first crossed paths with the Quatro Cerberus guild and joined them for a drink at the bar during the Grand Magic Games.

 _Those two might have alcohol in common, but he suits her_ , Lucy thought passively. _Why is she mad and crying though? He better not be breaking her heart or he'll get a Lucy Kick straight to the face._

Bacchus wiped the tears from Cana's eyes and pressed his lips to her brow. Lucy turned away, hand over her heart, to allow her friend to have a private moment. She noticed a pen and paper tucked behind the bar and decided to leave Cana a note.

 _We're going to head back to Magnolia tomorrow. We're going to find Laki and the others first to convince them to start construction on a new guild hall. The city should have the plans for the old one that we can use. We'll stop by in the morning to say goodbye before we go. I hope you'll join us one day. Much love, Lucy_

She tucked the note securely in the register before grabbing Natsu and heading out into the cool night air.

* * *

Lucy hissed as she sank into the hot water of her bath. The hot water and soap eased into her sore muscles and scoured the cuts she had not noticed on her skin. She ran her hands over her skin to wipe the dirt and grime away from the sensitive wounds. _No use letting these get infected due to my negligence. I really took having Wendy around for granted all that time._

Natsu had used the bath first when they had returned to the small farmstead on the edge of town. Courtesy of his magic, candles burned around the bathroom to light her way and she wanted to take advantage of their remaining life. She savored the rush of the water on her skin and dipped her head back to clean the muck from her hair.

 _We really did look terrible,_ she thought with a laugh. The farmer and his wife had stared in horror when they had returned to the small homestead, mud, clay, and viscera caked to their clothes. Happy had delighted them with tales of their little adventure in the mines but the reality of seeing the proof was a bit more gruesome.

When the water began to cool down, Lucy drained the tub and turned on the shower to rinse the soap out of her hair and complete her scrub down. She hummed quietly as she wrapped a towel around herself then frowned when she realized that she had not brought a change of clothes with her. She blew out the candles and tiptoed her way back into their shared room.

The room was vacant when she walked in but the window was wide open, letting a cool breeze fill the room. She shivered as the wind touched her damp skin. She rushed over to her pack to pull out her clean nightwear and a brush to tame her damp locks. She dressed quickly and as she was pulling her brush through the last of her tangles, Happy flew in through the open window.

"Hey Lucy," he smiled and plopped down onto a pillow.

"Hey Happy. Did you get enough dinner?" she yanked on a particularly difficult knot.

"Yeah. Natsu says he's hungry again though."

Lucy's eyebrow twitched at that but she was not really surprised. "Where did he run off to?"

"He's on the roof." Happy curled into a ball on the bed and yawned. "I told him I'd grab him some food but I'm too tired. I just wanted to go to bed."

"That's not very nice." Lucy rifled through her bag again and pulled out a bright red apple that she'd been saving for moments like this. "Why don't you take this to him."

"You do it, Lucy. I'm sleepy." Happy turned over and ignored her.

Lucy rolled her eyes and climbed up to the open window. Twisting carefully on the sill, she edged herself over to a small ledge where the roof angled down and she could lift herself up. Natsu was lying on his back, hands propped behind his head, staring up at the night sky. He blew smoke rings into the air, playing with their shapes and maneuvering them before they were blown away by a breeze. Lucy stepped carefully across the roof and took a seat next to him.

"Here," she held out the apple. "Happy said you were hungry again."

"Thanks," he grabbed the apple and took a bite, his eyes never leaving the sky above him.

Natsu had come up here to unwind from their busy day and to think about their self imposed mission and where they would go next. His usual impulse was to go with his gut, and his gut was pulling him North, but after Cana's decline of their offer, he wanted to approach decisions with more tact and control.

"Hey Natsu?" Lucy's voice broke the silence. She was looking at the sky now too. "What does your magic feel like to you?"

Natsu paused before taking another bite of the apple. "Hmm... It's like a low burning bonfire in my gut that's always there. It's warm and comforting but quick to flare. It's Igneel. Why?"

Lucy was silent for a moment. "No reason, really. Just curious."

"What does yours feel like?" he asked, resuming the consumption of his apple.

"Endless," she whispered, eyes tracing the constellations. "It's light a ball of starlight reaching out into oblivion to touch every piece of me. There's no heat but it's warm. It's patient and it tickles sometimes... A lot like love, I guess."

Natsu contemplated her words, wishing he could feel what she felt to better understand them. His fingers toyed with the thin box resting at his side. He tore his eyes from the heavens to give her a brilliant smile. "You're so weird, Lucy. But it suits you."

Lucy nudged him with her foot with an eye roll and they fell into companionable silence.

"Are you ready to move on tomorrow?" she asked after a while.

"Yeah. Cana will have to come back on her own time." Natsu threw his depleted apple core off the roof and into the open field below. "We should have started with getting someone on rebuilding the guild when we got back. I hate feeling like we wasted time."

Lucy placed a hand reassuringly on his arm. "We didn't know anyone was still there to begin with and from the sound of it, Laki and the others were out on a job so we would have wasted time just sitting around. At least now we know for sure."

"I guess you're right." Natsu resumed blowing smoke rings, forming squares and triangles between the circles.

"I'm going to head back in, I think." Lucy started to get to her feet.

Natsu sat up and beckoned for her to wait. "I have something for you."

Lucy knelt beside him patiently. Her eyes widened when he revealed the long narrow box. "What is it?"

"It was the other half of our reward for completing that job." Natsu pushed the box into her hands. "It's how we got the job, really."

Lucy slipped the lid off the box slowly and almost dropped it in surprise when her gaze settled on what was inside. "N-Natsu..."

It was the rose quartz necklace that she had admired in the market that morning. It's delicate silver links glimmered in the night's luminescence. She picked it up slowly, admiring it once again.

"I saw you staring at it and I know you had to use all of your spending money on your new place, so I went back to ask what I could do to earn it." Natsu laid back down onto the roof. "When he realized we were mages he jumped on the opportunity. The extra jewels were just a bonus."

"Thank you," Lucy whispered.

Natsu shrugged. "You really like shiny things. Are you sure you're not part dragon?"

"Just spoiled," Lucy laughed at his teasing. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek before leaning away and placing the necklace back in its box. She held it close to her chest. "This is an amazing gift, Natsu. Thank you."

"You earned it. I meant what I said to the villagers. You've gotten a lot stronger."

Lucy blushed and stood up. "I still can't keep up with you, but I'm trying."

"Don't be ridiculous." Natsu gave her another wide grin. "You could probably give me a run for my money any day if you got serious about fighting me."

"It's a good thing we're allies, then." She made her way to the edge of the roof. "Goodnight, Natsu."

"Goodnight, Lucy." Natsu watched as she disappeared before letting a blush flood his cheeks. He touched the cheek she had kissed and a smile tugged at the edges of his mouth. He remained on the roof for another hour after Lucy left, blowing smoke in a variety of shapes until he formed a heart. He watched it rise upwards until a soft breeze carried if off into the night.

* * *

Morning broke over the small mining town with a quiet sigh. The townsfolk bustled about getting started on their busy day. The miners were already gone with the rising sun, eager to return to their tunnels beneath the mountain.

Lucy, Natsu, and Happy wandered through the streets, eager to continue on their journey. They headed towards the Broken Window but frowned when they found the front door locked.

"Cana?" Lucy knocked on the door gently. "It's Lucy, are you in there?"

"She won't hear that. Move." Natsu started banging on the door aggressively. "Oi! Cana! Open up!"

"No need to shout guys," came a voice from the edge of the building. Cana stood there, having come from the back door, a large pack resting heavily on her shoulders. Bacchus stood by her side with a deep frown. "You ready to go?"

The trio blanched. This was the last thing they had expected this morning. Lucy regained her composure first. "What's going on, Cana?"

"Our Siren has decided to move on to rougher waters, it seems," Bacchus replied smoothly, his hand resting protectively on Cana's waist.

"As much as it hurt to watch everyone leave," Cana started hesitantly. "I realized it would hurt more to miss being there when everyone came back."

Lucy's heart swelled. She looked between the two mages standing uncertain in the morning light. She realized that there was another, simpler reason that Cana was reluctant to leave. "Cana, are you sure?"

Cana nodded. "I thought it over like you asked me to and this is my answer. I will return to Magnolia with you and bring back Fairy Tail."

The Magic Card mage squared her shoulders defiantly and Bacchus let his hand fall to the side.

"Nothing can stop our Lady when her mind is made up," he joked lightly. "Something I've noticed all fairies have in common."

Cana wrapped her arms around him. Natsu heard her whisper a soft "thank you" to the drunken Palm Magic user before placing a chaste kiss to the side of his mouth.

"It's going to be quiet around here without you, Cana." Bacchus held her tight once more before releasing her to her friends. To Lucy and Natsu he raised his voice and waved. "Expect some visits from Quatro Cerberus in your future, Fairy Tail. We'll be checking in."

"Let's have a rematch when you do!" Natsu replied gleefully. "Fairy Tail versus Quatro _Puppy_."

"Sounds good." Bacchus did not acknowledge the slight against his guild but Cana gave Natsu a resounding smack across the back of his head.

Bacchus stayed in his spot as the four Fairy Tail members walked out of town. He watched until they were out of sight before he turned away and brought his gourd to his lips, itching to beat something up.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than my others, but I felt it rounded out to a good point. More coming soon! Thanks to everyone for your continued support.**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

Cana was quiet as the group made their way towards the cart Lucy had hired for their travels the night before. The driver made no mention of their additional passenger and once they loaded in with their gear he took off.

Natsu's head immediately found its way to Lucy's lap, an action that did not go unnoticed by Cana. She arched her eyebrow skeptically at the blonde. Lucy shrugged in response to her gaze and ran her fingers along Natsu's scalp, soothing his ailing body. He sighed with relief and settled in for the long trip.

They arrived in Magnolia after two days of dull travel. They did not run into any trouble on the road for which Lucy was grateful.

 _The last thing we needed was an ambush while Natsu's out cold_. Natsu's head rarely left Lucy's side while they traveled. Lucy knew it made Cana curious but was glad that the mage said nothing. _I wouldn't even know what to say_.

They entered Magnolia from the North and quickly passed through town to Lucy's new home.

"You can stay here as long as you'd like," she offered to Cana, passing her a spare key that she kept hidden in her letter box.

"That would be really nice. Thank you, Lucy."

"You never invite us to stay whenever," Natsu pouted.

"Mean Lucy," Happy added.

Cana crossed her arms in jest. "Lucy! How could you deny these perverted boys unlimited access to your private abode?"

Lucy prepared to kick each of her companions out of the universe but settled on smacking each one to the floor with a well placed fist.

"Never mind! Find your own place!" she shouted.

Cana roared with laughter. "Too late. I'm here to stay."

Lucy huffed and retreated to her bathroom, intent on bathing as quickly as possible to relax her frustrations. As she slipped into the warm water, she heard a rattle as her bathroom door slid open. Cana poked her head in with a predatory smile.

"Can I join you?"

Lucy nodded. Cana quickly undressed and entered the warm water on the opposite end of the tub.

"You looked a little disappointed that it was me asking to join you" Cana teased. There was a strong scent of alcohol on her breath.

Lucy flushed and stammered, "What d-do you mean? Who - Why would I? I like bathing alone, that's all."

"Mhmm, sure." Cana smirked and began running a washcloth across her skin. "I bet Natsu wouldn't mind joining us. Shall I ask him?"

"Cana!" Lucy interjected. "What is with you?"

"Ha! Ha! Lucy, relax. He's not even here."

"He's not?" Lucy felt the unwelcome pang of disappointment. "Did he go home?"

"He and Happy went to grab some dinner from the bodega. He mentioned you really like that place." Cana turned around and beckoned for Lucy to scrub her back.

Lucy smiled. "I'm so happy to have friends like them. First the necklace, now food. It's like he's really trying to make up for lost time."

"What necklace?" Cana turned her head and eyed Lucy.

"Our job reward for clearing those mines."

"Show me!"

After they were finished, dried off, and dressed again, Lucy pulled the black box from her pack and handed it to Cana.

"You're telling me that Natsu sought out a job just to get you this necklace? It wasn't even a posting. He asked for the work?"

"Seems that way."

"Damn that boy has got it for you bad. He doesn't even know it but he does."

"Don't be ridiculous, Cana."

"I'm not! No man without a woman to please asks for a job to get a necklace."

Lucy glared at Cana. "What about you and Bacchus, huh? Something you want to share?"

"Nothing to tell," Cana huffed.

"Didn't look that way where I stood." Lucy placed a comforting hand on Cana's shoulder. "I saw you two talking the night before we left."

Cana sighed and pulled her knees up against her chest. "I went looking for Guildarts after... I found Bacchus instead and he found the job at the bar for me. He... he helped me get through it in his own way."

"Why were you arguing?"

"He thought I should come back with you. I was being stubborn."

Lucy was surprised. "It was his idea?"

Cana nodded. "I guess he knew what I really wanted. I had too much pride to see it."

"Do you love him?"

"Who knows. Never really talked about it like that." Cana waved Lucy's question away. "Point is he was right so I'm here."

Lucy smiled and pulled Cana in for a hug. They stayed tucked in their friendly embrace until Happy flew in through the open window holding a large bag full of steaming hot food.

"We're back!" he cried as Natsu climbed in behind him, another bag perched in his grip.

They sat around the table in Lucy's kitchen and feasted on the spread laid out before them. Cana produced a barrel of ale and quickly filled their glasses. Laughter rang out as each person told pleasant stories of their time apart. Lucy took a moment to call out Loke so he could join in their revelry. At Cana's insistence, Lucy and Loke shared her Star Dress: Leo Form for the group.

Pressing his key to her heart, Lucy melded her magic with Loke's and transformed into an elegant black ball gown that was tied at her waist with a golden sash. Loke's zodiac symbol rested above her right breast in stark contrast with her pale skin.

"Oooh Lucy!" Cana slurred and crawled towards her from her seat on the floor. Cana's hands slid slovenly up Lucy's leg where it was revealed by the long slit in the side of her dress. "You look so sexy! Loke you dog, I bet you like seeing her wearing your clothes."

Loke frowned as Lucy tried to peel the drunk maiden off of her. The celestial spirit readjusted his glasses and sighed. "It's not about how she looks. It's a special Form gifted from Lucy's spirits to help keep her safe as she fights with us in battle and only because she has proven herself strong enough to wield it."

Lucy managed to shove Cana into a slouched position on her sofa. As she straightened up, Loke flashed her a mischievous smile before adding, "However, I am happy to admit that Lucy is as beautiful as ever, even in such... revealing attire."

Lucy frowned and closed Loke's gate with a terse "goodnight." She dispelled her Star Dress and caught Natsu staring at her strangely again before turning his gaze to the floor. Her face warm from the exertion, she moved back to Cana and shifted the intoxicated girl into a resting position on the couch before flipping a blanket over her body. She had fallen asleep in moments and Lucy did not want to try to move her. She cleaned up their remaining dishes and tossed garbage into the bin. She heard Natsu and Happy muttering to each other quietly but did not bother to turn and see what they were getting up to.

When she was finished cleaning she took a seat at the table and Happy flew into her lap. He curled against her and looked up with worried eyes. "Do you think anyone else is going to come back, Lucy?"

Lucy rubbed the Exceed's head and scratched behind one of his ears gently, extracting a quiet purr from him despite his anxiety. "I'm sure we'll find others who want to come back, Happy. We got Cana and she even told us no!"

"Yeah I guess."

"Why do you look so uncertain?" she inquired.

"I have a feeling something bad is going to happen. I know I can't get premonitions like Carla, but I have feel like something's not right." Happy pulled on his tail as he spoke.

"Don't you worry, buddy. Anything comes our way we'll defeat it. It's what we do best, right?" Natsu had joined them at the table to encourage his disheartened friend.

"Aye," Happy managed weakly but Lucy could tell he wanted to believe in Natsu completely. She had smiled at the dragon slayer's words and felt inspired herself.

Lucy and Natsu talked quietly for a time and did not notice when Happy had drifted to sleep in Lucy's arms. Natsu watched his little blue friend relax under her gentle pets, knowing full well how peaceful it could be. The clock chimed the late hour and Lucy yawned. Natsu offered to wake Happy but to his surprise, Lucy declined. Holding the Exceed in her arms she said he could stay there with her until he woke.

Natsu slipped over to the living room window to return home as Lucy bade him goodnight. He took another glance as he watched Lucy carry Happy quietly into her room behind the curtain. He balanced on a ledge for a few moments and then maneuvered over to her bedroom window.

Natsu watched curiously as Lucy laid Happy down to rest against her pillow and climbed in beneath the covers in a way to not disturb the sleeping cat. He watched her smile fondly at their friend and felt a twinge of loneliness at the prospect of going home by himself. Without thinking about it too much he slipped in through her window and joined their sleeping pile.

Happy woke partway through the night and found himself snuggled close between the two warm bodies of his closest friends. Unperturbed, he shifted to lie on his back and rested his paws on his furry belly. He giggled quietly and remembered the last time he had slept like this with Natsu and Lisanna and felt the same comfort now that he had felt so many years ago. It warmed him to know that he had nakama that loved him so dearly. Thinking fondly of his memories, he quickly drifted back into sleep and did not wake again until morning.

* * *

Natsu, Lucy, and Cana walked down the main street of Magnolia while Happy flew above them to stretch his wings.

"We have no clue if he will ever be able to achieve a battle form like Lily, but he wanted to get stronger anyway." Natsu explained that during their training, Happy worked hard to expand his magical endurance to remain in flight for longer periods of time. This meant that the little blue Exceed spent much of his time in flight and often carried their things to increase his strength.

"Training is important for every Fairy Tail mage," Lucy agreed. Calling up to the Exceed, she shouted encouragements, "Keep it up, Happy!"

"Aye!" came the response.

"Show them how fast you've gotten, Happy!" Natsu called.

Happy gave a little salute and sped off in a blur. He reappeared moments later with a freshly picked flower Lucy knew only grew in abundance on the outskirts of the city. She saw particles of dirt freeing themselves from the plant's roots and was impressed.

"Good job!" Cana took the flower from Happy, trimmed it down and placed the flower behind her ear.

"Thank you," Happy fed off of the positive encouragements from his teammates and started doing flips in the air to show off.

Cana guided them towards the ruins of their guild hall and out towards the Fairy Hills apartments. "It was converted to a homeless shelter in the weeks after the attack from Tartaros until the city could rebuild. The last matron stopped caring if boys and girls shared the same halls during the crisis and it has not been converted back yet since she quit. Laki and the others keep it maintained."

"I hope they're up for our challenge," Lucy mused.

"Don't discount Laki," Cana challenged. "She's amazing with her wood manipulation magic and Reedus can design an incredible schematic for us to build from."

They knocked on the front doors of the Fairy Hills complex and were greeted by a familiar face. "Reedus!"

The tall, thin frame of Reedus Jonah loomed over them with a flat expression. As he registered the gathering of people below him a slow, wide grin took its place. "Cana! Lucy! Natsu and Happy!"

The found themselves pulled into a hug as the Pict mage expressed his joy at seeing them. He beckoned them inside and herded them towards a common seating area.

"What are you guys doing back in town?" he had grabbed his sketchbook and was using his colored light pens to commemorate their sudden visit through his art.

"We're getting the guild back together!" Natsu said matter-of-factually.

Reedus froze and looked at each person before him in turn. "Are you serious?"

Lucy and Cana shared a smile and nodded their heads. "We are and we need your help. You and anyone else left in this joint."

Reedus stood abruptly and marched over to the staircase. "LAKI! MAX! VIJEETER! WARREN! GET DOWN HERE IMMEDIATELY!"

His shout was louder than anything they had ever heard the man say in all the time they had known him, but they were even more impressed by the response it conjured. Frantic footsteps pattered overhead and two pairs of feet trampled down the stairs. Warren Rocko and Vijeeter Ecor appeared before them and hugs were exchanged in greeting once more.

"Where are the other two?" Reedus inquired.

"Laki mentioned something about getting a knot out of her current project and she'll be right down. I haven't seen Max all day." Vijeeter piped up. Warren glanced awkwardly up the stairs but said nothing.

A few minutes later, more footsteps moved unhurriedly above them. Max and Laki descended the stairs slowly before stopping before Reedus.

"Did you have to project your speech at such a high volume?" she pressed as Max slid quietly around them. "I was busy."

"We have guests," Reedus motioned the room of individuals gathered behind him.

"Where were you Max?" Vijeeter asked as Warren refused to look the man in the eye. "We didn't hear you upstairs."

"Oh, I was reading." Max bypassed them quickly and began greeting Natsu and the others.

"Cana!" Laki shouted and ran straight into the Card mage's open arms.

"We were just about to hear why they have returned to Magnolia," Reedus filled the others in. "They've requested our assistance."

The other four eyed the newcomers expectantly, their eyes eager.

Lucy piped up first to break the silence. "We want to rebuild Fairy Tail and call off the disbanding immediately."

"How can we help?" Vijeeter asked without hesitation. The others nodded slowly.

"We are going to travel Fiore to gather our guild members together and we need a team here to start construction on a new guild hall. No one in town touched the rubble during their repairs... I think they were waiting for us to come back, really."

"You want us to be the construction team?" Laki asked flatly.

"I would be staying here with you," Cana answered. "I can start marketing for jobs while we get our registration ironed out as members start to return."

Warren tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I have an idea."

He ran back up the stairs and returned moments later with four identical items clutched in his hands. He passed one to Lucy, one to Natsu, one to Cana and kept one for himself. "I designed these newer communication lacrima over the last year to expand the range of my telepathy and make inner guild long distance communication more accessible for us. It'll work with other magic at shorter ranges, but these can keep us connected anywhere in Fiore."

He tapped a few choice buttons to demonstrate the contraptions. Lucy awed over hers as Natsu rushed outside to try it.

"I was thinking that his way," Warren explained. "You could give us a heads up on who was coming back to town and we can prepare for them in the proper order."

"That's a great idea, Warren." Lucy laughed as Natsu's voice came blaring through the lacrima. "Natsu! You don't have to shout!"

"Let's go get lunch," Reedus insisted. "Old Yajima's place was rebuilt and their food is always good."

"Yeah!" Natsu's voice shouted over the lacrima. "I'm starving."

"We can start the plans to rebuild while we eat." Laki straightened her glasses thoughtfully. "We can plan some schematics over lunch. Reedus, bring your notebook."

"Sure thing."

* * *

Yajima's restaurant chain, 8-Island, had been a popular destination and last minute job opportunity for many of the mages of Fairy Tail. The Magnolia location was destroyed during an unexpected attack by the demon Tempester of Tartaros but had been successfully rebuilt at Yajima's insistence once the conflict had been resolved.

Natsu started to smell the food as they drew closer. His mouth watered as the appetizing magical essence seeped out of the walls and invaded his senses. Every item on the menu was melded with individual magical properties to enhance each customer's experience with the food.

The large group of nine hungry mages wandered into the refurbished restaurant and asked for a table. A young waitress looked at the group with wide eyes and hurried them to a large booth in the far corner where they would not disturb the other guests. They ordered a round of Holly Soda and browsed the updated menu.

Vijeeter and Max took large interest in Natsu and Happy's retelling of their time training. Lucy listened to them discuss Happy's increased agility training and agreed that it was a wise choice of focus for the small cat. Laki and Reedus spoke of their help rebuilding the city and the occasional jobs they were able to scrounge up on occasion while Warren kept busy fiddling with another invention that he was pursuing. Cana pulled her flask out of her blue feathered purse and started a shouting match across the table with Natsu when he mentioned running into Guildarts during their adventures. After a few attempts at taking their orders with little success, the waitress who had seated them rushed into the kitchen for backup.

"What is all this racket out here?" demanded a harsh, stony female voice. "This is a peaceful establishment. Pick your meals now or get out!"

The group turned to see a bewildered Evergreen staring back. Her eyes were narrowed in irritation but relaxed in understanding as she recognized the group before her.

"Evergreen!" Cana and Lucy jumped up to greet their fellow Fairy.

"What the hell are you all doing here? You're too noisy!" she stated gruffly but shared a soft smile as the women embraced her.

The group quickly shared their plans for rebuilding the guild. Lucy jumped in with a comment, "I thought you were at the Hargeon location with the rest of the Raijinshu. My sources at the press confirmed your location less than a month ago."

Evergreen huffed again and flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder. "We are in charge of training and managing the staff in both locations so we travel back and forth a lot. There was a fire in the kitchen here about a week ago so we came back to set things straight."

Lucy smiled, "I'm glad you're here. We were going to come find you after we went after the Strauss'."

"Why after?" Evergreen's eyes flashed dangerously behind her glasses.

"Well," Lucy shuffled her feet awkwardly. "We weren't sure if you'd want to come back without... we didn't know where Laxus was so we assumed that at least having a hall to come back to would be a bigger motivator but that required more time so..."

"You shouldn't just assume that anyone is what you expect them to be, Miss Lucy." Freed Justine came out from the kitchen, wiping a clean glass with the dry cloth in his hands. "Plus, you wouldn't have been able to find Laxus anyway. Luckily we always know where he is."

"Where is he now?" Natsu's ears perked up on Freed's comment. "I want to challenge him!"

"Not interested." The lightening dragon slayer emerged from the kitchen behind Freed. "I have a restaurant to finish cooking for so order your crap so I can get back to work."

"I thought Bickslow cooked here when you guys were in town," Max interjected. "Is he out?"

Evergreen and Freed exchanged glances before looking aimlessly around the room.

"He's out on a job," Laxus said by way of explanation. He coughed and motioned for the waitress to try taking their orders again. "We were expecting him back by now, but he's late. I've stepped in until he gets back."

"He went on a job without you guys?" Cana raised her eyebrow skeptically.

Freed flushed. "The Strauss' were having a little trouble with a demon near Oshibana and thought they needed Bickslow's Seith magic and his Figure Eyes to help them subdue the beast. We couldn't leave the restaurant unattended with Yajima attending to Council business again so he went by himself."

"Well, they're our first stop so we'll go check on him and send him back." Lucy promised. "If anything is wrong we'll send a message through Warren's new portable communication lacrimas and get in touch."

The large group ordered an overwhelming pile of food that made it difficult to see across the table. Natsu ordered one of everything on the menu to start and the others joined in the cheer of being reunited. Evergreen sat with them for a time before being shepherded back to work. Before she left Lucy pulled her aside for one more conversation.

"I hope the Raijinshu choose to come back to Fairy Tail," she mentioned quietly. "Laxus too. We want everyone together again."

Evergreen gazed at Lucy with a fixed stare, her expression blank. "We will consider it."

With a round of smiles, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy bid everyone goodbye. Their food had been consumed and new designs for an upgraded guild hall were drafted in Reedus' sketchbook. They lamented that they had not been able to enjoy the guild hall that the city had built them for very long so the designs took on many similar features. The "Home Team", as Cana dubbed their group, were going to begin construction in the morning and spend the rest of the evening gathering supplies and volunteers to help remove all of the remaining rubble.

In exchange for Cana's promise to watch over her apartment, Lucy packed a small traveling bag with fresh clothes and supplies while Natsu and Happy ran home to collect their own belongings. It was their intention to hop the train to Oshibana that evening in the hopes of reaching the city by night fall. Their hopes had been elevated by the success and enthusiasm their comrades had shared during their brief reunion and even Lucy was fired up with excitement to reach the next leg of their journey.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter took me a little longer to write because of the different people being brought in at once. I'm shaping the scenes for my larger plot line so the set up is getting complex. I hope you still enjoy it!**

 **The love I am receiving for this story is astounding. I've reached 50 followers on this one story! That's incredible! Thank you for your continued support and commentary. I take your reviews seriously and they help me improve every day.**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

The train rolled in to Oshibana Town around half past ten that night. As Lucy and Happy dragged Natsu out of their car and into the station, they reminisced about their first team job with Erza and Gray in that very same town. Lucy remembered learning to trust her teammates with her life on this trip and was grateful for the experience and every one like it since. After kissing the solid ground, Natsu regained his composure and pulled Lucy away from her memories.

After a small dinner, the team found an inexpensive inn on the outskirts of the town near the surrounding forest and settled in for the night. They decided on sharing a smaller single room in favor of saving money once again. Lucy found that she was less and less bothered by the notion and chalked it up to feeling comfortable with her team again. Natsu gave a nonchalant shrug at the prospect of sharing the close quarters and led the way to their room.

"If you really want to save money we can always go camp out." He suggested but Lucy rejected the idea immediately. She did not trust the forest rumored to house fearsome demons within its borders and valued her own safety too much.

To Lucy's delight, their top floor room had a balcony with an open view of the forest that expanded out into the wilderness beyond the town's borders. She took a minute to admire the view and contemplate the search they were embarking on early the next morning. She fingered the makeshift pendant that laid hidden away beneath her shirt with fondness.

 _I hope you're doing well, Aquarius,_ she thought.

 _Stop getting distracted, idiot,_ she imagined her oldest spirit companion responding. _This is why you don't have a boyfriend._

Challenged by her imagined conversation, Lucy felt the need to stretch her magic and make sure her skills had not diminished from the lack of use over the last few days. She doused the lights on the balcony so she was bathed entirely by starlight and closed the doors leading back into the small bedroom.

She settled down on the floor and closed her eyes. Using meditation methods from Capricorn's extensive training lessons, she cleared her mind of everything that had been happening for the last few days. She reached within herself to bask in the stream of magical energy she carried with her at all times. As all of her worries faded into her subconscious, her breathing slowed to a calm rhythm. She coaxed and stretched the energy outwards in an internal dance. She felt tendrils of her magic spread to the tips of every nerve in her body and welcomed its loving embrace.

Eyes still closed, Lucy lifted her head to face the heavens. She absorbed the evening lights as it touched her skin and let it mingle with the energy already coursing within her. She encouraged her magic to flare out and touch the stars. The more she pushed it out, the more relief she felt when it stretched further than ever before. As she reached the limit of her strength, she opened her eyes to see the manifestation of her magic spreading out from her body in a warm, golden glow.

She let the magic linger at her fingertips as she stood and reached up towards the constellations, tracing their patterns in the night sky. She felt her keys warm at her side and knew her spirits sent their strength to join hers. What she did not notice were the pair of onyx eyes that gazed at her in awe from the doorway.

When Lucy closed the balcony doors, Natsu had assumed that she wanted to be alone for a while. He knew it was hard for her to share her space at night and wanted to give her the luxury of privacy when he could, even if it was only for a moment.

After he readied for bed, he shut off the lacrima lights and crawled into their single bed. Happy had slipped out for a quick fly around the town to stretch his wings but Natsu was not worried. He was used to the Exceed taking more and more time to himself as he got older.

Natsu was laying on his back counting dark blemishes in the wood of their ceiling when an ethereal glow of golden light began to ebb into the room from outside. He did not hear anything other than Lucy's steady breathing from the balcony so he was not concerned when the glow got brighter. His curiosity got the better of him so he slipped out of the bed on bare feet and padded lithely towards their external door.

He carefully slid the door open and peered out. Seeing Lucy bathed in light that radiated from her body was more than he had expected. If her upturned face had not been so peaceful, he would have interrupted her to make sure she was alright. A soft current of air whirled around her, pushing her hair away from her sweat dampened brow.

Natsu could feel the strength of her magic pushing out from where she was seated and its warmth flooded him. He could feel it working its way into his bloodstream but did not feel threatened or concerned by its invasion. In its pure essence, he only felt Lucy. Nothing but simple, unfiltered Lucy.

He did not know how long he stood there, staring, entranced by the golden blanket that surrounded her and stretched its way into the sky. He was startled out of his stupor as her eyes opened and she stood to reach one delicate hand up towards the stars. He felt the warmth around him falter and knew her power was at its limit.

Lucy stilled when she realized that Natsu was watching her, his lean frame propped up by the door frame of their meager hotel room. He watched as she fidgeted nervously at being caught and smiled when she snapped, "What?"

There was nothing more he could say except, "Beautiful."

Lucy flushed and pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I didn't know you were watching."

"I didn't mean to," he said softly. "I saw the light from inside and wanted to know where it came from."

"Capricorn told me to push at my magic as much as possible when I had down time so I could expand my range without needing to rely on the second origin that Ultear released," she mumbled, her fingers fumbling together self-consciously.

"Well he knows best," Natsu agreed. "That was something to experience. I could feel your power. I bet the whole inn felt it although I doubt anyone else knew what it is they were feeling."

Lucy looked him in the eye with a start, "What do you mean you felt it?"

Natsu shrugged, "It was like... That feeling you get when you eat a really good home-cooked meal with your best friends and family and everything is really great. No problems or pain. Just happiness."

"I see," Lucy's brow furrowed, trying to understand his meaning.

Natsu knew he wasn't a wordsmith but tried to put what he felt to speech. "It also felt like... you. Like it was all you getting into my skin."

Lucy smiled warmly, "Well it was all my magic. There's always a pool of this overwhelming power in my stomach so I just took what was there and let it out."

"What were you thinking about?" Natsu asked curiously.

"The point of the exercise is to try not to think about anything," she explained. "But if anything I was feeling... love."

"Love?"

"Yeah. I guess you could say that was me expressing my feelings of my love for everyone." Lucy wiped the sweat from her brow and laughed. "There's more in me. I can still feel it. I guess I'm just not strong enough to show how deep it goes yet."

"Natsu! Lucy!" came a shout from out over the trees. Faster than a bullet, Happy barreled into them on the balcony, knocking Natsu and Lucy back into their room.

"What's wrong, Happy?" Natsu recovered quickly.

"I was flying over the fish markets when I saw all that light coming from the hotel and thought something was wrong!" The blue Exceed cried. "I had to get back and make sure you guys were okay."

"You saw that all the way down there?" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.

"The whole town saw it!" Happy replied, clearly still worried. "Are you guys alright?"

"Yeah, buddy. We're fine. Lucy was just showing off." Natsu grinned toothily.

"I was not!" Lucy crossed her arms with a scowl. "I was working on my training exercises."

To Happy she added, "I'm sorry to have worried you, Happy. We're safe here."

"Thank goodness!" Happy smiled and stretched. "If that's the case, I'm going to go to bed now."

"Good idea," Natsu agreed and moved back to the lump of blankets he had left earlier.

Lucy reached into her back and withdrew a small bar of sweet smelling soap and her night clothes. "You guys go ahead. I'm going to go wash up first."

"Mmk," she heard Natsu mutter sleepily. Lucy chuckled to herself and left to find the closest bath to clean away the remnants of her training.

* * *

They were awoken by a loud explosion and the screaming of upset birds as they were disturbed by the morning ruckus. Natsu sat up quickly and jumped out of the bed to see what was happening beyond their balcony. Birds were fleeing the forest in flocks and a plume of smoke was rising in the distance. Another explosion echoed and he saw a tree falling close to the pillar of smoke.

"Lucy! Get up! We have to go!" he shouted and started pulling his stuff together.

Lucy dressed quickly, ignoring Natsu's close proximity due to their urgency. "What's going on?"

"There's something happening in the forest. Something big is moving towards the town. We don't want to let whatever it is get closer." Natsu grabbed Happy from his perch on the pillow they had shared. The cat was still wiping the sleep from his eyes.

Lucy picked up her bag and ran after Natsu, hopping into her shoes before dashing through the halls. Natsu tossed their room key to the receptionist on their way out with a quick "thank you" and the team pushed their way out into the morning bustle.

After making a quick loop to reach the edge of town, Natsu and Lucy did not slow as they entered the close copse of trees that gathered before them. A loud roar filled the brisk morning air and a cyclone of fire burst into the air directly ahead of them.

"It's getting closer!" Lucy called out. "We need to hurry."

By this time Happy had woken up and took to the air. He grabbed Natsu by the vest and lifted him up, picking up speed.

"Keep going straight ahead, Lucy!" Natsu called down to her. "We'll meet you there with an aerial attack."

"Got it!" she called back.

Lucy continued onward towards the pillar of fire that still raged before them. She pulled a key from her belt and charged forward. She came into an unnatural clearing of forest, all of the trees having been destroyed by the massive demon that towered before her. It's head was angled towards the sky, fire pouring from it's mouth as it roared in fury.

The beast was as tall as the trees that it crushed, reaching an easy fifty feet in the air and spanned at least fifteen feet across. Its skin was blood-red and looked as though it was coated in a layer of thick scales. It had massive horns that protruded from its skull and long claws that looked ready to rend the entire forest to ruins. As it roared, Lucy caught the putrid stench that radiated from it and gagged.

Lucy noticed the bodies of four collapsed figures laying defeated around the beast. Feeling rage stemming from her concern, she lifted the key in her hand above her head and called, "OPEN! GATE OF THE LION! LEO!"

"Greetings, Lucy." Loke appeared beside her, flashing a charming grin before taking in the site before him. Calculating the situation he smiled at the challenge. "This will be interesting."

Loke ran in, calling forth his Regulus power to strike at the demon's unattended torso. With a solid strike, the demon was thrown back and the stream of fire was cut off. Large, leathery wings expanded from the creature's back to help it balance and not come crashing to the ground. It used its tail as leverage to push off the ground and lunged at the celestial spirit that challenged its dominance.

Fearing for Loke's safety, Lucy quickly pulled out two other keys and called, "OPEN! GATE OF THE SCORPION! SCORPIO! OPEN! GATE OF THE ARCHER! SAGITTARIUS!"

She felt the immediate strain of her magical power to call three strong spirits at once, but she still needed to support them. As Scorpio and Sagittarius charged forward to aid Loke, she lifted Sagittarius' key to her chest and whispered, "Star Dress: Sagittarius Form."

Lucy fell to her knees as she transformed into the twin tailed coat that signified her successful spell. Gripping the bow that came with this form tightly, she rose to her feet and aimed an arrow at the demon. With its charging face in her line of sight, she pulled back her bow and cried, "STAR SHOT!"

Lucy released a volley of arrows that flew out with the ones released simultaneously from Sagittarius' own shot. Their attack collided with the demon as Loke's second Regulus attack and Scorpio's sandstorm joined them in a concussive explosion.

Lucy's spirits returned to her side and she drew her bow again for another attack. Breathing heavily, they waited for the dust to clear. With a swipe of its tail, the demon cleared its vision and roared again. To Lucy's horror, the demon seemed unfazed by her attacks and angrier than before.

"Natsu," she whispered. "Please hurry."

As if answering her whispered prayer, a supercharged scream echoed overhead as a ball of fire plummeted towards the beast. Seconds before the flames impacted with the demon, Lucy saw a small ball of fur launch itself away towards her. She smiled as Happy stopped short of running into her and then looked back to the battle in front of them.

Natsu's body was engulfed in flames as he struck the demon down. Using his own power to launch himself at any open space of flesh that he could access, Natsu pummeled his fists into the creature's tough hide. Lucy closed Scorpio's Gate as his area attacks would hurt Natsu if they collided. Loke ran forward to join Natsu while Lucy and Sagittarius aimed their bows in the hopes of finding a weak spot.

"Miss Lucy, moshi moshi." Sagittarius aimed for the demon's head. "Aim for its eyes."

Lucy started to turn and aim her bow at his suggestion but spotted a crack in its hide where Natsu's last kick had collided. "Natsu! You opened a weak point on its chest! Make it larger and we might be able to pierce its heart!"

"Aye!" Natsu called back gruffly as he deflected an arm attack from the demon. He found the point that Lucy was talking about and launched himself away to get a better angle. It was in a tough spot but he saw that it was in a vital location.

Suddenly, the demon swung its tail up to connect with Natsu's stomach. It had only been using its claws and breath attacks and only used its tail to maintain balance so Natsu did not see the swing until they collided.

"Natsu!" Loke called out as his attack connected with the demon's tail, severing the tip. "Are you okay?"

Natsu crashed to the ground hard. He lay still for a moment to gauge the damage but found soft paws attempting to help him get back on his feet.

"Happy?" he looked behind him and saw the Exceed's fiery determination. Their fight was not done.

"You're okay, right Natsu?" Happy pulled Natsu upright. "You've gotta finish this."

Natsu laughed and lit his hands on fire once more. "Sounds easy enough. I need you to launch me at this asshole again, Happy. Do you think you can aim me at his chest?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy lifted Natsu into the air and flew out of range before speeding back towards their opponent. "EXCEED SPECIAL ATTACK: HAPPY BULLET!"

The air whipped around them as Happy moved faster than he had ever flown before. Natsu took a moment to be impressed by his friend's custom attack and shouted, "We're fired up! Let's get 'em!"

The demon saw the approaching duo and spewed another fiery roar directly at them. "HAPPY! LET ME GO NOW!"

"AAAYYYE!" Happy spun and threw Natsu straight into the inferno before changing directions to avoid the flames.

Lucy's breath caught as she watched Natsu take the fiery attack head on. Even if he was fire-proof it was a strong attack. She did not breathe again until she saw Natsu emerge just below the demon's head, his fist ready to connect with the weakened scales above its heart.

The impact from the inferno had threatened to push Natsu off course but as he entered it he immediately began to consume the demon's flame. This lessened the resistance of his trajectory enough to allow him to pass through without being thrown back. The flames tasted terrible, but he felt his power being charged up and he was flying too fast to care. Readying his fist for a strike, Natsu connected with the demon's chest and felt a satisfying crunch as its armored scales crumbled away.

Natsu pushed away from the demon and shouted for Lucy, "It's open! Now's your chance!"

Lucy saw the demon focus its power for another attack. She and Sagittarius drew their bows together and aimed for the vacant spot of soft flesh. She panicked when she realized that the demon's scales were beginning to regrow to protect the exposed area. "Quickly! STAR SHOT!"

She and Sagittarius released their arrows with precise aim. The creature roared as the arrows connected in a solid strike directly into its chest. Loke and Natsu saw the arrows protruding from the demon's chest but the scales had grown back too quickly, keeping the arrowheads inches away from piercing its heart.

"Together!" Loke ran forward without waiting for a response from Natsu. They charged towards the beast and leapt at its wound. Skillfully dodging swipes from dagger-like claws, the two launched themselves at the arrow shafts and in one united strike, hammered them into the creature's heart.

Black blood gushed from the gaping wound left in the arrows' wake and the demon roared weakly before crashing backwards onto the forest floor. It was dead in an instant.

"Natsu!" Lucy rushed forward, closing Sagittarius' Gate to save her remaining strength. "Loke!"

She saw Loke crouched beside her partner, checking on the wounds he had taken from the tail attack and then neglected.

"He'll be alright, Lucy," her leonine spirit stood up to look at the damage around them. "We need to check on the others."

With Happy's help, they gathered the other fallen people who had been trying to fend off the demon's attacks and laid them down close to where Natsu rested. With a grimace, when they had wiped away the blood and much from their faces, they recognized the fallen warriors as none other than the family they had been in the area to search for.

"Mirajane! Lisanna!" Lucy kneeled between the unconscious sisters and checked to confirm any signs of life.

"Elfman!" Happy landed gently on the middle sibling's chest and attempted to copy Lucy's tests himself.

"Bickslow, wake up, man!" Loke checked their fourth companion's vitals and breathed a sigh of relief when the Seith mage began to stir.

Natsu managed to sit himself up with a groan and cursed their lack of a healer. "I miss Wendy at times like these."

"I miss Wendy and Carla all the time," Happy grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, me too. That attack just really hurt." Natsu pressed his fingers against his stomach tenderly. He knew there would be a massive bruise on it in the morning unless and hoped that the damage was not worse.

Happy and Loke returned to town for fresh water and bandages so all of those injured by the demon were tended to carefully by Lucy. She worked on Natsu last and listened to his breathing carefully for signs of broken ribs or punctured lungs. She did not hear anything bad, but to be safe she bandaged his torso firmly to keep him from making any unseen injuries worse. Natsu stayed completely still while she worked. His skin tingled any place she touched but he felt relaxed as she completed her work.

"I missed this," Lucy said softly.

Natsu arched a curious eyebrow up at her. "You missed bandaging me up?"

He smiled as she laughed lightly. "I missed our team. The three of us, you, me, and Happy. We were always out on big jobs with Gray, Erza, and Wendy that I forgot what it was like for it to be just us. These last few weeks reminded me of that."

Natsu hissed in pain as she drew the bandages tightly over his bruising stomach. "We always have fun with the others too."

"I know. I'm not saying I didn't like it. I just like this, too."

Natsu met her brown eyes and saw a light in them like he'd seen the night before. He grinned and agreed, "I like it, too. When we get the guild up and running again, we'll go on tons of new jobs together. Just like before!"

"I'd like that." Lucy smiled as she continued to wrap his wounds.

When she was done, Natsu laid back down and closed his eyes to regain his strength. He only opened them when she brought a plate of food and closed them again once he had devoured the meal.

Time passed slowly and four pairs of eyes gradually opened as the midday sun shone overhead. Mirajane Strauss was the first to fully wake and sat up quickly before cringing in pain. She eyed her bandaged arms and tenderly touched the bandage that crossed over her left eye.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"We were hoping you could tell us." Lucy and Happy sat nearby next to a steady crackling fire. Loke had returned to the Celestial Realm after ensuring Lucy's safety and Natsu was sleeping soundly, his head tucked back in his spot on Lucy's lap. She gingerly lifted his head and placed it underneath her bag as a pillow before making her way over to Mirajane. "How do you feel?"

"Like I took a sound beating to the head," Mira smiled sweetly as Lucy placed the back of her hand to Mira's forehead. "Grateful to be alive."

"None of you have a trace of fever, thankfully. We were waiting for you to wake up before trying to get everyone back to town." Lucy smiled back and glanced at the others who were slowly waking up and stretching their limbs.

"What happened to the demon?" Lisanna murmured from her resting place.

"We took it out," Lucy described what had happened during their fight as she helped each person sit up and drink a cool glass of water. "You were all unconscious when we got here."

"I'm glad you came." Mira stood up and straightened her dress. "I did not realize we had chased the demon so close to another city."

"Oshibana is about a mile over that way," Lucy pointed back the way they had come. "We saw the flames and came to investigate."

"What were you doing in Oshibana? I thought you were working in Crocus. We had not heard a peep from Natsu or Happy but not even rumors mentioned anything about them being in this area either."

"We were looking for you!" Happy had joined the group of mages.

Mira looked back at Lucy questioningly. "I don't understand."

Lucy showed Mira her guild mark and grinned. "We're rebuilding the guild. We were hoping you guys would come home with us."

"Come... home?" Lisanna tried rising to her feet but stumbled, her energy still not recuperated enough. Bickslow was at her side in an instant to keep her stead and upright. Lucy silently noted the warm look the two of them shared.

"Aye!" Happy flew laps around the group joyfully.

"You guys really took this thing out?" Elfman called, standing by the felled demon's corpse. They had tried to burn it, but its flesh was resistant to fire and they had no other means of destroying it. It was starting to smell more putrid than before so Lucy hoped that their time in the forest would come to an end soon.

"With the help of my spirits and Happy, Natsu and I were able to bring it down," she grinned triumphantly. She allowed herself to feel proud of their accomplishment.

"That's manly," Elfman grinned.

"We've been chasing that thing for over a week," Mirajane explained. "We thought Bickslow's abilities would come in handy but it was too strong. If you hadn't come along when you did..."

"Luckily we did so we don't have to think about what might have happened if we didn't," Lucy interrupted. She did not want her friends to be disheartened by their own imaginations.

"You're right. Thank you, Lucy." Mira gripped Lucy's hand firmly and turned to reassure herself that her siblings had been tended to.

Lucy returned to Natsu's side and gently shook him awake. "C'mon, Natsu. Time to go back to town."

Natsu grumbled irritably at being woken up. "I'll catch up with you later. Let me sleep."

Lucy motioned for Happy to help her pull Natsu to his feet. "Don't be difficult or I won't buy you dinner."

"Aw, Lucy... Don't be mean." Natsu was awake the moment she threatened his dinner but continued to tease her as their new group began to limp their way through the forest. He was glad that Lucy had not gotten hurt but could see the toll that summoning all of her spirits had taken on her.

"Your magic wasn't completely filled back up yet, was it?" he asked her quietly as they walked.

"What do you mean?" Lucy replied in kind.

"After your training practice last night. You hadn't regained all your power before we got into this fight."

Lucy smiled reassuringly, "Well, we did get woken up early this morning. I was hoping for at least another hour or two before running to our doom, but we made it out okay. I had enough for this and that's what matters."

Natsu wrapped his arm around her shoulders in a half hug. "Yeah, you're right. Just be careful. Can't have anything happening to you, right?"

Lucy laughed and wrapped her arm around his waist. "I'm sure bad things will keep happening, but we'll get through them. We always do."

* * *

Their battered party returned to the inn that Lucy and Natsu had flown from that morning. Lucy apologized to the receptionist that they had scared with their hasty departure and asked if there were still rooms to rent and a doctor they could employ to ensure their wounds were properly treated.

The hotel manager informed them that they did not have any rooms large enough to accommodate all six of them in one place, but they had three rooms he could offer for a good price. He said he could also ask his mother, a retired nurse who lived in the inn, to come check on their medical needs.

After agreeing wholeheartedly, the group made their way up the stairs and branched off in different directions to get to their individual rooms. Each room had two beds a piece, so Mira and Lisanna took the first, Elfman and Bickslow branched off to the second and left Lucy, Natsu, and Happy to climb further up to the third and final room back on the top floor. Lucy quickly claimed the bed closest to the balcony door, wanting the fresh air and view to guide her into her pending slumber. She dropped her bag at the end of the bed and fished out her bathing supplies once more.

"I'm going to go clean up," she informed the others. Natsu and Happy took no time flopping onto the remaining bed for their own nap.

"Mmk," Natsu grumbled, halfway to sleep already.

"You should too," she admonished. "It'll be good for your muscles to relax after all that."

Natsu exhaled deeply in response but got up again anyway.

"There's a hot spring on the ground floor," Lucy explained. "I'm going to head there after my shower. You should grab Elfman and Bickslow if you decide to go."

Natsu nodded in acknowledgment as he followed her down the hallway, towels in hand, but remained silent.

They separated at the gender divided bathrooms to take their respective baths. When Lucy finished, she exited the bathroom in a soft white robe she had found in their room and walked down the stairs, eager to relax in the hot spring she'd discovered when they checked back in.

She stopped at Mirajane and Lisanna's door to invite the girls with her. After a promise to join after their own showers, Lucy made her way out the back of the hotel and into the hot spring. She saw that a large wooden wall had been erected down the middle of the spring to encourage privacy for the men and women who bathed there.

Grateful that she would not have to shield herself from the prying eyes of male visitors, Lucy shed her robe on the women's side and lowered herself gently into the pool. She was alone on her side for now and wanted to make the most of it.

Her clean hair was tied up in a bun atop her head. She sunk low in the water until it lapped gently at her chin and walked around slowly, letting the water move around her effortlessly. Her restful stupor was interrupted when she heard a shout and a splash on the other side of the fence.

Lucy rolled her eyes knowing full well that Natsu was the one causing unrest in the adjoining hot spring.

"Don't you dare wreck this hot spring, Natsu!" she shouted so he would hear her threats.

"I won't! I won't!" came the reply.

Natsu swam in circles around his side of the pool until he came to rest at the wooden wall that separated the two parts of the pool.

"Lucy?" he called quietly.

"Hmm?" her voice came back. He could sense her leaning against the wall, relaxed.

"What are you doing?"

"Relaxing, Natsu."

"Okay."

He heard her sigh and shift in the water. "What are you doing, Natsu?"

"Nothing really. No one else is here except you."

"Did you ask Elfman and Bickslow to come down?"

"No, I forgot."

Lucy chuckled heartily and Natsu grinned in spite of himself.

"You could go get them," she offered.

"Nah, I'm sure Mira and Lisanna will let them know when they come down."

"Probably."

There was silence for a moment until a female voice rang out on Lucy's side of the wall. "Hey Lucy. The manager's mother is looking for you and Natsu. She's in the lobby if you want to have her check on you guys."

"Thanks, Mira!" Lucy called to the white-haired mage. Softer, she called back to Natsu, "Let's go. I want to make sure nothing's wrong after that hit."

"Be there in a minute," Natsu heard her chuckle again and started swimming away from the wall, back to the pile of clothes he had left on a rock. He toweled himself off as quickly as his injuries would allow. He had to admit that the warmth of the spring had helped loosen the knots in his muscles that formed to protect him from the strain he put them under that morning.

He slipped on his pants, leaving his chest exposed for examination, and headed back into the inn.

The old woman that met him in the lobby poked and prodded his stomach where a large black and blue bruise was already blossoming across his skin. She nodded to herself and turned him around to check his other side. He felt her press her aged hands against his skin and cringed when she hit a tender spot. Lucy watched on in amusement. She felt her presence there was necessary in order to ensure that Natsu listened to the advice that the old woman gave him and enforce it herself when necessary. He glared at her for fun, internally acknowledging that the woman's touch was nothing like Lucy's had been earlier.

"Come here, girl," the old woman snapped at Lucy. Her grin quickly disappeared and she approached the retired nurse. The woman's arthritic hands gripped Lucy's firmly and guided her to touch Natsu's side. "Feel that?"

"I think so?" Lucy felt a slight wiggle of bone under the skin she touched.

"His lower rib is fractured," the woman explained. "It's not fully broken, luckily. I'm amazed he didn't take more damage but there it is."

"Mages are hardy and he heals quickly. What can we do to protect it?" Lucy asked, her hand still on Natsu's waist.

"I'll show you how to bandage this properly to give his ribs the best support, but he'll need to take it easy for a week or so while it heals. Even mages need to take it easy when they're hurt, no matter how quickly they heal." The woman grabbed a roll of bandaging and proceed to show Lucy the proper way to wrap these types of injuries.

Natsu's skin was a battlefield of conflicting nerve reactions. Where Lucy touched him, he burned. Where the old woman touched him, he twitched. Any time either of them touched a tender spot or his fractured ribs, he fought the urge to hiss in pain or jump away. He endured it, even when the woman made Lucy undo the wrappings and do them again to ensure that she had paid attention.

"Stay away from fights, boy," the old woman reprimanded and walked away without another word.

Lucy smiled at Natsu's grumpy expression. "You can go a week without fighting, Natsu."

"I don't want to."

"Well, you'll need to find another way to engage your energy until you heal." Lucy and Natsu wandered into the inn's dining room to eat an early dinner before heading back to their room.

"Like what?"

"No idea."

Mirajane, Lisanna, Elfman, Bickslow, and Happy each wandered into the dining room and soon they were all engaged in lively chatter. Lucy found herself repeating stories and discussing the plans to reconstruct the guild. Mirajane was surprised to hear about the "Home Team" that had already started construction on the guild. With a worried look, she discussed the guild hall designs with Lucy in great detail.

Natsu told Bickslow about Laxus, Evergreen, and Freed trying to run the Magnolia branch of 8-Island without him and Bickslow crowed with laughter while imagining Laxus trying his hand at being a chef. He had removed his visor to eat, exposing his blue hair and strange hypnotic eyes that were now full of mirthful tears.

"Since that beast is gone, I guess I can head back," he commented before taking a huge bite out of the sandwich he was trying to inhale. "Unless you guys have another beast you need my help with?"

"I think that was the last one the Council had any leads on," Elfman replied. "Is there anywhere else we need to go, Sis?"

"I think heading back to Magnolia is our best option right now. It'll be nice to go home for a while." Mirajane pulled at her hair nervously. Lucy had just told her about the plans for an extended outdoor training yard and she was anxious to see oversee that correct precautions were being made.

"We'll want to start trying to pull in jobs again, too," Lisanna added. "Elfman and I can start working through town to get the locally sanctioned jobs from the Mayor before we start bringing in the bigger job requests. We'll need our stronger teams back before we can start accepting those ones again."

"Good plan," Lucy agreed. "The local jobs will give the others something to focus on once the construction is done. I'll call Warren and let him know you guys are coming."

She pulled out the flat communication lacrima that Warren had entrusted her with and called ahead. Their reunion was cheerful and those staying at Fairy Hills were eager for the others to join them.

"Fairy Hills was turned into a co-ed?" Mirajane gasped, appalled. "How could you guys?"

Laki appeared in the lacrima screen with a scowl. "There was no where else for them to go! Everything was obliterated!"

"We'll be back tomorrow and set this all straight!" Mira shrieked before disconnecting the lacrima.

Lisanna patted her arm reassuringly. "It'll be okay, Mira. Sometimes things change for the better."

"Erza will kill them all when she finds out," Mira whispered, hands holding her head.

The table blanched. They had not considered anyone else's reactions to the situation and each person cringed individually at the thought of what the Titania would do to boys living in her protected domain.

"Erza has been off the radar for a while," Lucy spoke carefully. "There's a good chance we can get this all sorted out before she finds out."

There was a collective rush of air as each person at the table released breaths of relief.

"You're right, Lucy," Mira waved as if scaring off her worries. "I'm sure it'll all work out."

After another hour or so of dining and merriment, they bid one another goodnight and retired to their rooms. Lucy changed into her night clothes and collapsed onto her bed in exhaustion. She fell asleep almost instantly after noticing Natsu stepping out onto their balcony.

Natsu took a deep breath and watched as the sun finished descending on the horizon. Darkness quickly overtook the sky and he watched the stars peek their way into existence. He felt better now than he had since finding out about the guild's disbanding.

 _Things are on track_ , he thought. _With Mirajane back in Magnolia, it's only a matter of time before everyone comes back. She's the face everyone remembers first when they think of Fairy Tail._

Natsu smiled to himself and after a while headed back into the room. Forgetting about the second bed, he navigated automatically to the first bed he saw and climbed in beside Lucy. After a moment he heard a flutter of wings and Happy tucked in above his head with a purr. Contentment took over all feelings of anxiety and sadness that were still harbored in his heart. As sleep settled over him, he half noticed Lucy move in closer to his side and absentmindedly slipped his arm beneath her head so she could curl more comfortably against his side.

 _Happiness_ , was the last thought that crossed his mind before he slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm on a roll today and managed to push out another chapter. Wahoo! I'm trying to ramp up the action here but I am having a lot of fun with the character interactions. First time trying to write an action scene like this, so let me know what you think!**

 **Much love to all my readers for making it this far with me. Your trust in my story is inspiring. I respond to each of you separately if I can but I wanted to shout out to the Guests whose reviews I cannot respond to. Thank you for everything!**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is my last warning. I do not like wasting your time with long notes or mid-chapter warnings. There may be some canon spoilers as we move forward. Not an overwhelming amount, I just want you to be aware. Thanks loves!**

* * *

Chapter Eight:

Anyone who bothered to look in the last train car leaving Oshibana Station would have been concerned by the five mages who looked close to death while a sixth mage and an Exceed watched over them. Natsu had wanted to move on immediately to keep searching for other guild members, but at Lucy's insistence they decided to escort their wounded comrades home to Magnolia.

 _How do we get ourselves caught up in these messes?_ Lucy mused to herself. Natsu was smashed in his seat between the window and Elfman's overgrown mass across from where she sat beside Lisanna. Everyone else was sleeping off their pains so Lucy had taken it upon herself to stay awake in case something happened. _Too many incidents happen to us on trains._

Luckily, the train pulled in to the Magnolia station without a problem. Lucy quickly roused their group and herded them onto the platform. She propped herself under Lisanna's arm when the young girl's legs started to give out again and left Happy to drag Natsu off the train by himself.

A shout of greeting met them as they left the station. A head of messy black hair tore through the crowded street with an excited expression. Romeo Conbolt was running across the busy road with his arms waving frantically in their direction. "Hey guys!"

Lucy saw his father, Macao, and their friend Wakaba Mine following slowly behind the energetic teen.

"Hey Romeo!" she called.

"Let me help you, Lucy." Romeo took Lisanna's other side.

The younger Take Over mage smiled weakly. "Sorry for the trouble."

"It's no problem at all," Macao stepped up to help carry some of their bags as Wakaba assisted Happy with Natsu. "Warren let us know you were coming and said you might need some help."

"When did he-?"

"We saw the Sorcerer article about the branding on Mercurius and figured it was time to head back. You know the fire is still going?" Macao laughed heartily. "You're lucky the King is so fond of us."

Lucy glared back at Natsu and Happy. "You said the flames would disappear!"

Natsu cracked a toothy grin. "It's only been a week or so. It'll disappear eventually."

The laughter that followed them through the city of Magnolia was warm. Romeo told them that they were not the only ones to have seen Natsu's message. Apparently Nab had come across the information out in his refuge in the wilderness and had come back to help with the construction. Alzack and Bisca had ridden into town the night before with little Asuka.

"Where did they run off to?" Mirajane asked Macao.

"They went to relieve a desert mining town from some thieves and stayed on to help them get back on their feet," he explained. "They were grateful for the news from Crocus. Apparently living in a desert isn't all it's cracked up to be anymore, even for sharpshooters like them. HA!"

"So everyone really is coming back, huh?" Lucy smiled.

"You sound surprised, Lucy," Natsu slung his arm around her shoulders. He had recovered from his illness and Wakaba immediately made him walk on his own.

"I thought it would be harder."

"We always assumed the disbanding would be temporary." Wakaba took a long puff from his cigar. "Still don't have any idea why the old man sent us off in the first place but we knew we'd be back. Most of us were just waiting for something like this to finally get our asses in gear."

"You just wanted an excuse to get away from your wife," Macao joked and dodged a smokey attack from his friend.

"Fuck off," Wakaba growled in response.

Their laughter continued until they came in sight of their guild hall's plot of land. The rubble had already been removed and the ground work for the foundation was quickly moving into place. Guild members flooded out of the construction zone to greet them with hugs and challenges for duels and beer.

After their bandages had been checked and redressed, Lucy helped Mirajane meet with Cana, Reedus, and Laki to confirm that their designs were above par and acceptable to guild management. Evergreen ended up bringing a cart full of food for their workers from 8-Island and spent a good amount of time scolding Bickslow and Elfman for their brazen disregard for their personal safety and her time spent worrying about them.

"The townspeople are already bringing us jobs," Cana shared excitedly. "We told them we could start as soon as construction is done, so many of them have volunteered to help us out."

"That's great!" Mirajane exclaimed. "I'll have to find a new log book and reopen our investment account with the bank."

"Yeah, yeah," Cana took a swig from the flask at her hip. "I'm just excited to buy better booze than the piss I've had to drink since leaving my bar."

"Hey Marijane?" Lucy took the eldest Take Over mage to the side. She pulled out her notebook that she kept with her logs on guild member locations across Fiore. "I was wondering if you or the others heard anything about the others who haven't returned yet? I know where Wendy and Carla are but have no idea about the rest."

Mirajane shook her head, "I'm sorry, Lucy. We only heard about Wendy as well when we passed through Margaret Town last."

"Okay, no worries. Thank you anyway." Lucy sighed with frustration. She watched her friends mill about, chatting and having a good time and wished that all her friends could enjoy this reunion together.

As though she knew Lucy's thoughts, Mirajane turned back for a moment to add, "Gray might be easier to find than Erza. I heard he was training near his old village in the North. If I _had_ to guess, I'd say start on Snowfall Island. Seems appropriate."

Lucy thanked the Take Over mage profusely and made the note in her journal for consideration later.

* * *

"Why is Gray going to be easier to find than Erza?" Natsu asked over the dinner they shared in her apartment that night. He had followed her home with Cana and Happy while the others dispersed to their own homes. Lucy had cooked up simple meal of rice, fish, and greens while Cana supplied a bottle of plum wine.

"Erza supposedly linked back up with Crime Sorciere," Lucy revealed her latest Erza sighting from four months previously. It was a blurred snapshot of blue cloaked figures meeting with a scarlet haired mage who was easy to recognize. "They don't exactly promote themselves these days seeing as they are still wanted criminals so if she is with them full time she will have completely dropped off any discernible map. No one knows where she is except others who are equally difficult to find."

"So to find her you guys are going to have to be impossibly lucky," Cana concluded.

Lucy nodded. "Our best chance is that she'll hear about us bringing back the guild and will decide to come back on her own."

"We could fly everywhere shouting her name really loud," Happy offered through a mouthful of trout.

"I don't think that would work," Natsu commented with a friendly pat on the Exceed's head. "Also, if they're trying to remain under cover, she's not going to just pop out and say 'here I am' if we are shouting her name all over the place."

Happy shrugged and helped himself to another piece of fish. "I'm okay without her scary face for a while."

"What about Shadow Gear?" Lucy asked to no-one in particular. She thought of the blue-haired bookworm she had grown close to over the years and found she missed her dear friend greatly.

"Jet and Droy checked in a few months back," Cana took a large gulp of the wine both Lucy and Natsu had declined. "They were training on their own and said that Levy had taken up a job... how did Jet put it... 'on high with those judgmental pricks and that stupid iron head'. He was pretty sloshed by the time it came up though."

"On high with those judgmental pricks?" Lucy considered the words carefully. "I heard rumors that she may have joined the Council. They've had to completely restart the governing system of Fiore since Tartaros killed all of the old members, including most of the retired ones, so it makes sense that they would employ as many people as they could. They could use her skills and she has a wicked sense for guild law."

"HA!" Natsu shouted out. "You mean Gajeel joined the Council? Can't think of anyone else they'd call 'stupid iron head' but I don't believe it!"

"Maybe not, but they asked the ten Wizard Saints to take over as the new our Council so it's not impossible." Lucy thought that it seemed fitting for the iron dragon slayer to end up wherever Levy had gone, but she would not mention that here.

"Is that where Gramps ended up, then?" Natsu caved to Cana's egging and joined her in a glass of wine. "Old man hated the Council."

"I believe he went there at first to help them get started but I doubt he stayed long." Cana knew their old master Makarov would not have joined the Council willingly. "I doubt they'd want him there for very long with the number of apology letters they have made him write over the years."

"We'll head to Era after Margaret Town and on our way to Snowfall Island and see if we can find Levy," Lucy jotted down their plans in her journal as she spoke. "At the very least we can ask Warrod if he knows anything and submit the registration papers for Fairy Tails revival while we're there."

"Warrod?" Cana asked for clarification.

"He's the fourth position Wizard Saint, one of the Four Kings of Ishgar, and one of the founding fathers of Fairy Tail." Lucy described the mission to the giant's village that had led them to meet the plant mage.

"He's crazy," Happy muttered.

"He's eccentric," Lucy corrected. "He has lived a very long time and knows more about our own guild's history than we do."

"Why do we have to submit papers to the stupid Council?" Natsu huffed. "They know who we are."

"Without applying for guild standing we can't take jobs as an official guild," Lucy remembered reading about guild law in a book Master Makarov had lent her when she joined Fairy Tail. "We could say we are Fairy Tail, but it won't mean anything and the Council will just shut us down. Also when we destroy things, they can exact harsher punishments on us if we aren't registered."

"Oh."

"Not to mention, while we would be working for good our status would be no different than any dark guild."

Silence fell around their table. Natsu picked at a chip in the wooden floor and thought about how much he wanted to fight Gray when they found him. He smiled as he thought that there was no way Gray had surpassed his level and felt his magic start to rile up at the idea of finally beating the Ice Make mage.

The clock chimed that the time neared midnight and the friends bid one another goodnight. Cana had taken up residency back in Fairy Hills at Mirajane's insistence that afternoon. Mira needed her help to separate the boys and the girls on separate sides of the building to recreate order. Natsu and Happy wandered off towards their small house in the forest, leaving Lucy to settle in for a quiet night of writing and dreaming.

* * *

Lucy woke up a few hours after drifting off to sleep when a cool draft made its way in through her open window. She frowned and tried to remember the last time she had gotten cold at night and realized that it had been a while since she had gotten a chance to sleep alone. Enjoying the smell of the fresh air, she found a few extra blankets that she had tucked away in her closet and wrapped herself in the extra warmth.

On the far edge of the city, Natsu had also woken up when his simple hammock swayed as he shifted positions. He pulled at a crick in his neck to relieve the tension of sleeping in the cocoon-like shape and tried not to miss the comfortable beds that he had been getting used to. He looked around at the memorabilia collected in his single room house and thought of the memories that came with each one. He was glad that nothing had been touched during their absence over the last year and slowly rocked himself back to sleep.

* * *

Lucy insisted that they stay put for a few days while Natsu's fracture healed. After over an hour of arguing about it, they made a special visit out to Porlyusica's house on the outskirts of town. There, the human hating healer gave him a bitter draught that would amplify his body's natural healing process and sent them back on their way with the warning that he was to rest for another week.

Natsu spent the rest of the day cringing as he felt the potion taking effect. His sides ached with every movement he made and thus could not help much with the construction site. Instead, Mirajane had him work on branding designs into the new wooden signs they would hang around the guild. Using Reedus' sketches he was able to focus on the project at hand and still feel productive. It also kept him still and distracted from picking fights which made Lucy happy.

Lucy asked her spirits to help with the rebuilding as well. Virgo assisted with digging holes for posts and carrying heavy loads of lumber or stone when needed. Sagittarius used his bow to skillfully shoot long nails into place without hammering. Loke came out most frequently, both as a spirit and as a member of Fairy Tail, much to the delight of the local women who were volunteering with the project.

Their progress was steady and before the week was up, the new guild hall was complete. Lucy was grateful that they had stayed to help and witness the final reveal of their hard work. The building stood a striking four stories high and sported a luxurious outdoor pool and training ring. The side wall of the first floor that faced the new pool was designed to open out and extend the bar area for large gatherings. Mirajane had requested this particular addition in the hopes of limiting future destruction.

Natsu immediately challenged Elfman to a fight out in the new ring but was silenced by a swift smack from Lucy and a reminder that both men were supposed to be healing.

"No fighting!" Lucy and Lisanna shouted together. To the side, Evergreen huffed about the noise but Lucy noticed the concern in her eyes as she watched the Strauss brother.

The guild celebrated long into the evening. The townspeople had brought enough food for a small army and barrels of ale they had stored for the guild's return. They refused payment, stating that the guild had brought Magnolia luck and good fortune since its founding -despite the ruckus and its destructive past- and their generosity would be returned tenfold as the guild got back to work.

Lucy and Laki jumped into the pool before the heat left for the day; Romeo and Happy were not far behind them. Cana drank heavily from a barrel alongside Macao and Wakaba as Mirajane easily fell back into serving her guild mates effortlessly. Laxus wandered around looking disengaged while Freed tried to show him a new script spell he had been working on to heighten Magnolia's defenses. Others milled about the pool and training yard while Elfman and Natsu finally geared up for a brawl.

"Boys," Lucy laughed, watching the fists start to fly.

"I wonder if their skin will darken when their fists no longer fly," Laki muttered quietly. Lucy had never really understood the strange patterns her guild mate's speech often took when she was unfocused.

"No one comes out unscathed when they get into it," she offered in response. "But they recover quickly."

Lucy strained to hear Laki's response but decided to leave it alone. She was distracted when Romeo and Max leapt off of the pool edge into a joint cannonball, sending a wave of water washing over them.

"KYAAAA!" Lucy screamed as she was thrown against the edge of the pool. _How to two people cause so much destruction?_

"FAIRY TAIL!" Romeo shouted as he surfaced and was joined with hearty cheers from all around.

 _Aye, because we are Fairy Tail_ , Lucy laughed and cheered as loudly as she could.

As the light began to dwindle and the partiers brought their mirth indoors, Natsu found himself drawn to the top floor of the guild. They had added an upstairs deck where one could look out across the whole of Magnolia and scout from all sides.

 _I bet Bisca and Alzack requested this,_ he thought strategically. _It's the best vantage point for a sharpshooter to defend from afar._

He looked out and strained to see if he could spot his tiny cottage amongst the distant trees. _Nope, it's well hidden._

He heard roars of laughter drift up from below him. He frowned, thinking of how far they had come to get back to this place.

"Why so gloomy, Natsu?"

Natsu turned to see Lisanna walking up behind him. "Hey Lisanna. Just thinking."

"That doesn't sound fun. You should go back down and join everyone. Vijeeter is trying to show off his audition routine for the scouts from Minstrel." Lisanna laughed heartily.

"If he wants to go study dance, he should just go already." Natsu closed his mouth when he realized he had snapped. "Sorry."

Lisanna's smile did not break at his outburst. "Would you leave this place forever, Natsu? I know I couldn't. Even when I was in Edolas, Fairy Tail was home."

"I couldn't either. When we were training in the mountains, Happy and me, all I thought about was getting to show off how strong I've gotten to Erza and Gray. I wanted Gramps and Gildarts to be... I dunno... Impressed or something. I wanted to show Igneel I was fighting to live... Like he wanted."

"We just have to keep rolling with the punches, I guess. Like Mira and Elfman kept telling me, things will be back to normal in no time."

Natsu looked at Lisanna as she looked over the balcony. Their shared history left a soft place in his memories and her happiness radiated into him. "I'm glad we're friends, Lisanna."

"Me too." She gasped suddenly and pointed towards the ground. "Oh look! Lucy's going home!"

Sure enough, Natsu saw a head of blonde hair trying to make its way out of the guild with what looked to be like a heavily protesting orange-haired celestial spirit dragging behind her. Natsu strained to hear what they were saying.

"Loke, I'm tired and I want to go home." Lucy's voice was clear and urgent. "I'm covered in beer because SOMEONE NAMED WAKABA can't keep up with Cana like he used to but REFUSES TO ADMIT IT!"

Natsu saw Loke pull on Lucy's arm and slip it through the crook in his own. "Come on, Lucy. It's a beautiful night. Let's not end it on a bad note. I want to stay."

"Then come back on your own and stay!" Lucy stomped her foot in protest. Natsu smiled and would guess she was pouting to try to gain the advantage.

"I'll only stay if my Princess stays," Loke refused to let her arm go as she pulled at him.

"Stop calling me Princess!"

"Virgo gets to call you Princess."

"She refuses call me Lucy!"

"Let's go for a lovely night stroll, Lucy." Loke kept his voice calm as he goaded Lucy into silent fury. Natsu respected his guild mate for his courage to tease her so mercilessly.

"Man, he has balls tonight, huh?" Lisanna chuckled beside him. "I bet Lucy's going to either force his Gate closed or pull her whip on him."

"Nah, if anything she'll kick him. And with those heels?" Natsu shuddered and pressed a hand to his stomach. "I've been on one too many of those kicks. They hurt!"

"Cry baby."

"You try it!"

"Nah, I'll just watch from here."

They watched as Lucy continued to try to pull away from Loke, shaking her other fist or trying to pull apart the fingers that gripped her arm in place. Loke deftly grabbed her hand out of the air as it came around again and pulled it into a quick, chaste kiss. As his lips brushed her knuckles, the words left Lucy's mind and her throat dried up.

"Let's go for a walk, Lucy." Loke winked at her and she sighed in defeat.

"Fine. We'll walk until I get home." She grinned and her cleverness and started to walk away.

Loke laughed and let her lead them on.

"I guess we were both wrong," Lisanna laughed lightly. "Lucy must be growing fond of him."

Natsu's stomach curdled at Lisanna's statement. His brows furrowed as he registered the sensation and he looked down at his stomach with concern, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by the young Take Over mage. She laughed again and only got louder when Natsu looked at her in confusion.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing! Nothing." Lisanna wiped the tears of her laughter from her eyes. "Oh Natsu, you are hopeless."

"What do you mean?" Natsu's confusion only increased as his childhood playmate roared.

"Nothing!" Lisanna continued to laugh as she headed back inside to rejoin the party.

Natsu growled irritably and moved to follow her inside. "Tell me!"

"You need to figure it out on your own, dummy."

"Don't call me a dummy!"

"Idiot!"

"HEY! FIGHT ME!"

"ELFMAN! NATSU'S TRYING TO FIGHT ME!"

"THAT'S NOT MANLY, NATSU, PICKING ON A GIRL! LEAVE MY LITTLE SISTER ALONE!"

"AYAA! FINE I'LL FIGHT YOU!"

Lucy smiled as she heard the fighting ring out behind her as Loke walked her home. She was loath to admit it but she enjoyed the company. Her pink haired partner had been nowhere to be found when Wakaba had spilled the rest of his ale on her and she had not wanted to wait around for him to go clean up.

She sent Loke home after he made a crude remark on her doorstep about watching over her while she changed and let herself into her spacious apartment. She quickly peeled off her beer soaked clothing and the dried bathing suit she still wore beneath her clothes. She would have bathed in the guild hall's new baths but she had failed to bring a proper change of clothes with her.

 _Next time_ , she thought wistfully and stepped into the hot bath she had drawn up. Bubbles sifted and popped around her and she gathered them with her hands. Feeling slightly childish and nostalgic, she started to drape the clumps of bubbles over her skin in a layer of makeshift clothing. She lifted the leather necklace around her neck and gazed at the remnant of Aquarius' key that hung at the end.

 _I bet you don't miss me summoning you during bath time anymore_ , Lucy smiled at the memories.

 _Tch_ , she imaged the spirit responding. _You were an annoying child_.

Lucy smiled and continued with her bath as normal, wiping away her bubbly layer of 'clothes' and scrubbing her skin clean of the scent of booze and pool water. She showered quickly to wash her hair and dried off. Wrapping her towel around her waist, she stepped out of the steamy bathroom only to see a mop of pink hair lying on her floor.

"Lucy, I'm hurt. Help me." Natsu cried drunkenly from his prone position on her floor. Happy was perched on his knees, shaking his head sympathetically at the plight of his fallen comrade.

She ignored the dragon slayer for a moment and pulled her robe around her, tying it off so she could remove her towel. She pulled on a clean pair of underwear before turning back to face her whining friend.

Lucy saw scrapes and bruises littering the dragon slayer's body and could only imagine what kind of brawl she had managed to avoid. She folded her arms and leaned over Natsu before responding, "Tch. You shouldn't have been fighting if you didn't want to get hurt. I told you to heal. It's not my fault that you don't listen. Why should I take care of you?"

Natsu pouted as Lucy turned her head away in feigned disinterest. "Cana interrupted my fight with Elfman and challenged us to drink. Then we fought and I WON!"

He followed his gleeful shout with a wild punch in the air that Lucy narrowly avoided. She kicked Natsu's side and he grunted in pain. "Ow! Why'd you do that, Lucy? Now you have to take care of me because you hurt me too."

Lucy rolled her eyes and nudged him with her toe in the same place. "Go take a bath first. Clean out your injuries and then I'll treat the rest."

She pulled out a spare set of his clothes that had collected with her belongings over time. "Here are some clean clothes. Put them on before you come out."

She dropped the clothes on his face and walked over to her writing desk. She heard him groan and whine behind her as he struggled to get up but refused to look back at him. _No sympathy. He wanted that fight._

She heard her shower start and Natsu's resulting shout at the low temperature. Lucy usually used as much hot water as she could in her showers and with her bath too almost all the hot water was gone. As he grumbled, Lucy turned to her journal and began to pen her thoughts over the happenings of the day.

She found it difficult to pen her stresses and anxieties because they were slowly melting into irrelevance. She found that any complaints she had seemed trivial and her new fears were filled with more hope than reservation.

 _I'm getting better_ , she penned. _After all of that, the walls crumbled down so easily as we built new ones together. These new troubles are the ones I've been asking for all along so who am I to complain anymore?_

Lucy closed her journal after a time and fished out her novel. She had been neglecting it for months and figured it needed as much air as she did. She pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and began jotting down ideas in a sloppy haste as she brainstormed with fervor. Despite her hot bath and shower, she felt tension leave her shoulders and her mind felt sharper than ever. Her main characters would be rejoined after a daring capture and escape, the heroine would leave the castle and her father's wishes for a strategic marriage with the cruel prince, and she would find passion and adventure with the hero.

Lucy sighed dreamily and pictured the events of her story vividly in her mind's eye. She considered that the heroine's back story was eerily similar to her own but supposed that as a writer it made sense that she was writing something that was most familiar to her.

 _How far should their 'passion' go?_ she pondered, taking notes on her sheet of paper. _Does she stay proper and demand marriage first like she was raised to or does she give in to their mutual attraction and say society be damned?_

Lucy dropped her pen and pushed away the pages, her face flushing uncomfortably. _Is that what I would want? To just give in?_

"She should go with her gut. Screw the rules," Natsu said over her shoulder.

Lucy jumped in surprise. "Levy is going to kill you if she finds out you read any of this before her. You shouldn't spy on people."

"How else would I learn juicy secrets?" Natsu wrapped his scarf around his head as though he were a ninja. He darted into her bedroom shouting, "Nin~nin!"

"You're still drunk," Lucy observed with a laugh and followed him in. "Drunk men make terrible ninjas."

Natsu tried to kick at an invisible enemy but instead stumbled and fell onto her bed. "Injured ninjas need healing. Nin."

Lucy rolled her eyes and grabbed some medical supplies from her bathroom. Happy gathered the dirty clothing and headed towards the washing machine. Lucy was planning to do a last load of laundry before they left anyway.

Natsu had only bothered to put on a clean pair of pants and left his chest bare for Lucy to see the bruising flesh in full. She dabbed a disinfectant ointment on a clean cloth and tended to the scratches she could see. Only one still bled but Natsu hissed as the cloth grazed over each open wound.

"Stop struggling or stop getting into fights," Lucy chided.

"Nin," Natsu grumbled into his scarf. Lucy felt his eyes on her as she gingerly taped a bandage over the bleeding scrape on his abdomen. In a moment of daring intrigue, she let her fingers linger over the sculpted muscles that adorned every inch of his body. Natsu's muscles tensed at her touch and her fingers froze.

Lucy withdrew her hand with a silent apology and began cleaning up her makeshift medical station. Natsu still refused to look away from her and watched every step she took carefully. He gradually pulled his scarf down and readjusted it around his neck without lifting his head from where it lay comfortably on her pillow.

He continued to watch until she stepped out of the room, muttering about laundry, and the room was left quiet. Natsu turned his gaze to the ceiling and felt the woozy daze that his alcohol consumption had left him in.

He could not get the image of Lucy and Loke walking arm in arm down the street out of his head. It troubled him even more that he could not figure out why his stomach pinched irritably every time he recalled Loke's flirtations with his teammate.

 _Why do I even care?_ he griped internally. _She can walk with whoever she wants._

Deeper down, he considered an alternative thought. _She could have waited for me to walk her home. All she had to do was ask._

 _Why would she think to ask you?_ his mind responded bitterly.

 _We're partners! I'd walk her home if she wanted._ Natsu realized he was arguing with himself but continued anyway.

 _Maybe she was waiting but you were too busy sulking on the roof to notice._ His inner voice was not nice tonight.

 _She could have come up with me_ , Natsu pouted with little effect.

 _You didn't ask her to, dummy. Now you're obsessing over her._ It was Lisanna's voice in his head now; as though she was trying to lead him towards the hidden answer he sought.

 _Stop calling me a dummy!_

 _You really aren't getting it, are you?_

Natsu rolled over onto his side to face the window with a scowl. _I've had too much to drink to deal with this right now._

 _Giving up on a fight? Even if it's with yourself you never back down._

Natsu closed his eyes and willed his inner voice into silence. He grew uncomfortable with the fact that he was egging himself on. All that mattered was his team, Fairy Tail, and living on. He did not need his mind pushing him further.

When Lucy returned to her room after moving the freshly laundered clothes out to dry, she sighed in resignation to see Natsu and Happy snoring away on her bed. She quietly repacked her bag for their departure in the morning and made a list of items they would need to grab before heading out.

She extinguished the lacrimas that lit her apartment and slipped under the covers as quietly as she could. She poked hard at Natsu's arm to try to encourage him to go home but gave up when he rolled over and grabbed her hand, still happily snoring away. Lucy let his natural warmth roll over her and drifted into a contented sleep.

* * *

 _Lucy knew she was in a dream when she found herself transported away from Magnolia and dropped into a bright forest. The back of her mind tickled that she should have woken up at the realization but her dream sense of curiosity quickly quelled her perception of reality and pushed her to explore her surroundings._

 _Her celestial spirits were standing in a line before her while white flowers grew in splendid archways along their path. She came upon Capricorn first, her mother's faithful spirit and her trusted tutor and guide._

 _"Miss Lucy," he bowed to her, his sunglasses flashing as they caught the sunlight that slipped through the trees overhead._

 _"Walk with me, my friend," she heard herself say and continued forward. Capricorn followed at her side, as silent and stoic as the trees surrounding them._

 _Scorpio met her next but said nothing. His red and white coloring was striking against all the greens around them. He looked foreign in this setting. Aries, Taurus, Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo, Cancer, and Loke stood straight and said nothing. Their eyes looked straight ahead, unblinking as she walked._

 _Finally, as she passed Loke she came upon a small clearing where a white wooden box sat upon a gilded golden pedestal. Her celestial spirits filtered in behind her and stood at attention in a circle around her. She saw the symbol of Aquarius on the lock that kept the box closed._

 _Capricorn placed a golden key in her hand and beckoned her towards the box. She reached out to touch it but as soon as her fingers brushed the white lid, it disappeared. In an instant all of her spirits were ensnared by a golden glow and left her as well._

 _The forest grew dark and wind began to blow. It whipped her hair into her eyes and she cried out as debris flew into her face. Somewhere, a metal drum was pounding and each strike made a loud "tch" that echoed through the trees._

 _Lucy lifted a hand to her face and felt wet tears slipping down her cheeks and as she blinked, salty sea water began to flood the earth around her. Flashed of blue scaled fish swam to nip at her ankles until she stumbled back and fell. Her head slammed against a giant stone and a current pulled her swiftly out to sea. White petals fell about her as she struggled to stay afloat, feeling as though a heavy weight held on to her ankles._

 _She shouted for help but none came. As she began to sink, hand raised towards the sky, she thought she heard her name being shouted out._

 _"LUCY!"_

 _Pink hair flooded her vision above the water's surface but she was sinking too fast. She could not call out. Would he see her? Could he save her?_

 _"LUCY!"_

* * *

Lucy woke with a start as her bedroom window was forced shut. She looked down to find her bed and clothes soaked and leaves scattered all around her. She looked to the window to see Natsu and Happy securing the lock and closing her curtains against the storm that had suddenly picked up outside.

"What happened?" she muttered sleepily, trying to wipe her nightmare away as she wiped water off of her forehead.

"Storm picked up and your window was open," Natsu sat down on the edge of her bed and stretched. "You were about to sleep right through it."

Lucy was surprised by the storm. The day before had been clear enough for their party and now the skies roiled with thunder and lightening. She could hear the wind howling and beating against her window with the rain.

"I'll change the bedding," she slipped out of the damp covers and started to peel them away, forcing Natsu to shift back to his feet. Happy had already curled up in a drawer in her dresser that had been left ajar and went back to sleep.

She pulled blankets out of her closet and handed them to Natsu. "Thank you for getting the window. I wouldn't have wanted to catch a cold."

Natsu shrugged and started to remake the bed. "I didn't enjoy suddenly getting pelted in the face by rain. For a second I thought Juvia was back."

Lucy laughed at the thought of their friendly "rain woman" who used to be surrounded by a never-ending torrential downpour. "Her rain is more gloom, less destructive force of nature."

"Unless she thinks you're flirting with Gray," Natsu quipped back.

"She can have him, honestly," Lucy rolled her eyes. "I don't know what it will take for that woman to stop calling me a Love-Rival."

"Who would want to follow that popsicle around anyway?" Natsu stretched his muscles out again before crawling back into the bed. "You'd just be picking up his clothes all the time when he loses them."

Lucy changed into a dry set of nightwear before she slid in beside him to warm up. "I can't even imagine how many shirts he has to buy to replace the ones he throws away."

"I get that it was a training thing he did with his old Master, but the guy could at least keep his boxers on more often," Natsu grimaced.

"All I know is that I have seen more than enough of him to last a lifetime and Juvia can keep him."

"You mean ice and always naked isn't your type, then?" Natsu found himself asking before he could stop himself.

"Not remotely," Lucy blushed. "I like..."

"Guys like the heroes you write about in your stories?"

"I'd like a guy who was more open with his feelings. I also hate men who flirt carelessly and disregard my feelings. I want someone who is less aloof and more passionate, loving..." Lucy let her thought trail off before her next word slipped through. _Fiery._

She was glad the room was still dark and hoped Natsu could not see how red she was sure her face had become. _Why are we talking about this? Is Natsu even into this stuff?_

Lucy was suddenly keenly aware of how close she was to the man currently sharing her bed. The rain water had left her skin feeling chilled and she had subconsciously scooted closer to him to leech more warmth from him. Sometime during their talk he had wormed his arm around her shoulders and held her in place against his side. His body heat carved its way into her muscles and Lucy found herself quickly drifting back to sleep.

Natsu noted when Lucy's breathing had slowed down to an even rhythm and was grateful she had gone back to sleep. The pinching in his gut had lessened tremendously as she spoke but his heart tightened in response. Lisanna's words earlier came flooding back to him mind.

 _You're hopeless... Figure it out on your own._

Natsu tightened his arm around Lucy as small tendrils of understanding began seeping into his consciousness. He inhaled deeply, taking in the warm, heady scent that was nothing but _Lucy_ , and smiled. He looked out the window and dozed to the sounds of howling winds, tapping rain, and the gentle snores of his two favorite beings in the world.

* * *

 **A/N: Over 2500 views. I am honored! Thank you for reading, loves.**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

Although the storm threatened to keep them bound to Magnolia, Natsu refused to delay any longer. As the wind and rain lashed at them from all sides they made their way through the empty streets towards the train station.

Natsu was overjoyed to find that the storm had knocked a mudslide loose across the tracks and the train would not be moving for a few days until the mud and rocks were cleared.

"Alright! Walking it is!" he cheered.

Lucy glared at him from where she huddled against a building. Happy was curled protectively in her coat to keep him from being blown away.

 _At least Hargeon isn't that far,_ she thought bitterly. _I am NOT sleeping outside while it's raining. Absolutely not!_

Grumbling incoherently, she followed Natsu out of the city. His cheer at not taking the train was quickly overshadowed with regret as the rain did not cease in the slightest. Their progress was miserable and slow and by nightfall their spirits were low.

They followed the hilly road until they entered a thick copse of trees that miraculously spared them from the weather. Lucy could hear the storm still raging in the treetops above them, but the leaves were thick enough to divert the rain. Their packs were soaked through and the hope of having a dry change of clothes was an unattainable dream.

"We'll stop here for the night," she stated and unclasped her coat to release the sodden cat beneath. "Come on out, Happy. It's dry here."

The Exceed shivered in the exposed air but moved around to collect a few dry twigs and branches and placed them in a pile at her feet. Lucy started to collect stones for a makeshift fire pit and let Natsu construct the small tent they had brought with them. Natsu had complained about the extra weight until Lucy reminded him that their trip was going to take a lot longer than they were used to. It would also be good to have shelter when they reached colder climates.

Lucy prepared a light fish stew over their crackling fire and hovered over her bowl to absorb all the heat it offered. The wind overhead had lessened slightly but the air was chilled and their clothes refused to dry. Tired and feeling miserable, Lucy decided to retire early.

"I'm going to sleep," she grumbled and crawled into the tent. She peeled off her shoes and knee high socks and pulled back the top layer of her sleeping bag. Her clothes shifted uncomfortably as she tried to lie down. She was quickly overwhelmed by her discomfort and, in a fit of desperation, she peeled off the rest of her clothes and laid them out to dry while she slept.

Acutely aware of her nudity in the tent she was to share with her traveling companions, Lucy bit her lip in irritation at her lack of foresight to pack for more favorable weather. Deciding that her only options were between wearing wet clothes or to trust her friends, she chose the latter and wrapped her warm bag around her, grateful for the waterproof fabric.

Natsu and Happy finished the stew and cleaned out their used gear before retiring themselves. Natsu noticed the clothes laid around Lucy's sleeping bag and saw the wisdom in her logic. He pulled off his own damp clothes and laid them out beside hers, careful to not disturb her. His were already considerably dryer but they seemed reluctant to lose the last bit of dampness that clung to the fabric.

* * *

The next day was met with more wind and colder rain. Natsu used his magic to keep the worst of it from bothering him but Lucy and Happy were stuck plodding along through the muck.

"Why don't you call out that clock guy?" Happy suggested, shivering in Lucy's coat once again. "He can carry you and we can stay dry."

"I don't want to use Horologium like that anymore," Lucy replied and kicked herself slightly for entertaining the thought anyway. "I can still walk and we're not about to die so I should not waste his availability because I'm a little wet."

"You could call him out so he could just carry me then," Happy grumbled but lowered himself further into her coat in resignation.

"I also need to conserve my strength. Who knows what we might run into out here." Lucy pulled the neck of her coat closer and scratched behind one of his ears affectionately. "I'll keep you warm for now, okay?"

"Okay, Lucy."

They continued on in silence. Lucy fingered the bundle of keys at her hips, drawing on their warmth as she thought about the nightmare that had awoken her a few nights prior. She tried to remember the details on the box that had laid before her as she was surrounded by her spirit allies but could not remember it.

 _I'll have to ask Crux for more information_ , she thought tactfully. _Maybe I should have asked Cana before we left. She'd be better about dream interpretations._

Natsu smelled the ocean in the storm before they saw Hargeon Town. They crested the last hill late in the afternoon and saw the port town spread out before them. The locals were hunkered down in their houses and shops while fishermen and dock workers ran precariously across the blustery marina, securing mooring lines and helping unload shipments safely. The storm rocked the ocean violently, threatening to wash away the diligent workers.

 _Even amidst chaos, business must carry on,_ Lucy thought. _I should write that down when we get inside._

Their feet automatically carried them into town, their weariness leading them blindly. Lucy pulled up to stop at the first inn they found, a small ramshackle building on the edge of town. After a bath, a hot meal and freshly laundered clothes, Lucy, Natsu and Happy sank into their respective beds and slumbered the night away.

The storm carried on for three more days. No carriages were leaving town during a storm which meant Lucy, Natsu, and Happy would have to walk to Margaret Town or wait until the storm passed. Natsu wanted to crash through the doors of Lamia Scale during a lightning storm like an angry god to demand Wendy's return. Lucy talked him out of it and he reluctantly agreed to wait out the storm.

Unwilling to let their spirits and funds sink any lower, Lucy bartered with the innkeeper to allow them to work at the inn to pay for their room, conserving their resources for meals or emergencies only. They were moved to a small, cramped room with two measly cots but it was free.

* * *

By the time the storm had finally abated Natsu was restless and itching to be gone from Hargeon. They thanked the innkeeper for his generosity and decided to walk to Margaret Town under the new and welcomed sunlight.

About halfway through their trek to the home town of the Lamia Scale guild, Natsu's keen sense of hearing picked up the shrill cry of a woman's scream for help. He tilted his head in the direction he thought it came from and stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked curiously, when she noticed his focused look.

Natsu held up a finger to request silence until he heard the cry again. This time it was followed by a piercing scream that scattered some birds from their roost in the distance.

"Someone is in trouble," he replied before taking off into the woods.

Lucy and Happy shared a look of confusion but trusted the dragon slayer's abilities enough to follow him blindly.

"Do you know what they're in danger from?" she called out.

"Can't hear it. I can only hear her," he shouted back. "Happy, can you fly straight ahead and let me know what you see?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy took off over the tree tops and sped ahead of them. He returned to them shortly as the sound of the woman's cries finally reached Lucy's ears.

"You're close!" the Exceed supplied. "It looks like some lady got trapped by a giant plant. I think it's trying to eat her."

Lucy considered the situation and, in a flash, shifted to her Star Dress: Cancer Form. Clothes shifting to something akin to a short qipao with wide sleeves, she raised her twin blades and used her boosted speed to sprint ahead.

She and Natsu reached their destination together, slowed only by the surprise of what waited before them. Several thick, yellow vines rose high into the air like whips around a giant bur-like body. The vines were speckled with a red dusting that mirrored dripping blood. Three of the vines were crested with bright white flowers split in the middle of the central disk by a massive maw of sharp pointed teeth.

The source of the screaming came from a woman sprawled on the forest floor in front of the beast. Her pale hand was raised above her face as though to ward off the pending attack.

"HELP!" she shrieked.

"Happy! Get her out of there!" Natsu cried, taking charge automatically and sprinting towards the giant plant. Fire licked his palms as he readied his attack.

Happy grabbed the frightened woman by the back of her pale purple dress and pulled her out of harms way. Lucy darted to the opposite side of the creature, studying its threatening vines in anticipation of its abilities. She watched Natsu's charge out of her periphery and shouted a warning when a vine swept down to attack.

Natsu leapt over the vine with ease and continued to charge at the thing but stalled when the vine twisted suddenly mid-swing and aimed back at Lucy.

"Lucy!" he cried in alarm.

"Don't worry about me!" Lucy shouted, her blades slicing into the vines with ease. "Watch out for the flowers heads. Those teeth look really dangerous."

Natsu took a deep breath and forced himself forward while dodging another flailing vine.

 _Focus, Natsu,_ he chided himself. _Lucy can handle this._

Fists aflame, Natsu struck out and slammed into the nearest vine. Its headed peak shrieked in fury and charged down to bite at him. He narrowly avoided the attack but another vine swung to crash into his ribs, throwing him backwards. Wincing as the force of the blow jostled his recently healed rib cage, Natsu bounced back on the balls of his feet to steady himself.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Planting his feet firmly to the ground, Natsu took a deep breath to cast his spell and sent a torrent of flame from his mouth to burn the thrashing plant.

Lucy leapt away from the onslaught of fire that surrounded the creature and wished briefly for Erza's Flame Empress Armor to help her withstand the heat. As the fire disappeared, she noticed that very little damage had been done to the creature.

 _Resistant to Natsu's fire? That's not good,_ she thought. _We're going to need more muscle or this could get ugly fast._

"OPEN! GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!" she shouted out, raising her spirit's key above her head.

The familiar jingle of a cowbell signaled the arrival of her bovine warrior spirit. His vigorous shouts moo'd out over the chaos of their battle.

"Help me take out these vines, Taurus," she requested. Together, they dashed forward to strike at the offending branches.

With their combined strike, Taurus and Lucy were able to sever one of the whipping vines. The base continued to writhe aimlessly while the vine itself crashed lifelessly to the forest floor. Gooey white innards oozed from the severed base like rapidly congealing blood.

The creature howled in pain and all three of its heads turned to focus on Lucy's position.

"Lucy!" Natsu called in warning.

"I know!" she waved him off. "Physical attacks work best on it! Give it all the raw muscle you have."

"Aye!" A blue ball of fluff came barreling head first into one of the vines, causing it to wrench backwards. Happy had lead the woman to safety and returned to aid his comrades. Claws extended, Happy took the chance to swipe at the offending vine to keep it distracted. "Natsu! Find it's weak spot!"

Natsu charged forward once again and directed his magic back into his elbow and cried, "FIRE DRAGON'S FLAME ELBOW!"

A stream of fire burst from his right elbow and propelled his attack forward. He impacted one of the flower crested vines and a surge of force burrowed into the plant. Natsu directed his power into another punch from his left elbow and struck again. The eyeless head turned to face him and aimed a strike back as the other two charged at Lucy.

He dodged at the last second, allowing the petaled maw to strike hard against the ground. The impact sent shock waves into the surrounding area and almost dislodged him from his stance. He chuckled and leapt onto the wide vine and charged towards the spiked bulb at its middle.

Lucy stared up at the two heads that charged at her, fear gripping her insides. She swung her blades in an arc to deflect their attack as Taurus attempted to sever them at the base. She successfully diverted their attack but was only able to block half of their retreating double strike. She screamed as she felt sharp teeth dig into her shoulder as the head on her right side tried to take a bite out of her.

She turned her neck to view her attacker and was faced with the overwhelming site of white petals and a putrid, rotting stench. A sickening thunk could be heard but not seen but the head slowly fell to the side, dissected from its main body.

Taurus gently shifted the head aside and extracted the teeth gingerly from her shoulder, keeping a wary eye out for another attack. Lucy felt warm blood trickle down her back as the wound began to weep.

"We need to get youuu safe, Miss Luuucy," he cautioned. "Youuu cannot fight like this."

"I don't let my spirits fight alone," Lucy argued.

"Call out Cancer and Leo and I won't be alone," he reasoned. "Let us protect youuu while your magic lasts."

Lucy allowed him to drag her back a ways and he waited as she called out her two other spirits, simultaneously releasing her Star Dress. Taurus and Cancer rushed on to battle with the creature while Loke stopped to help dress her wound.

"Stop telling me to forget about you, Lucy," he reprimanded as she tried to urge him to help his celestial brethren. "We can't do anything if you are too hurt to keep us here, so let us keep you safe."

Lucy huffed and relented to his hasty patchwork. It was a mess, but it would help staunch the bleeding for now. When he was done, he turned around and joined the battle. Lucy sank to her knees and focused on pouring her energy into her spirits. She could tell they felt the boost of magical power as their attacks became more precise and vicious as a result. Vines began to fall quickly until Lucy could see a fiery ball of power nested in their middle.

Natsu reached the center of the giant plant with little resistance. It seemed to him as though the plant was reluctant to strike at him while he was so close to its core. He grinned in realization and aimed an attack towards the hard surface. He blasted off a chunk of spikes to give his fist room to connect with the hard shell. The creature shrieked as the core cracked and splintered, vines quaking at the hit. Natsu struck the same spot again, pushing more power into his punch.

A hole appeared as the outer shell began to crumble away, exposing a soft interior. It was less resistant to his fire, he discovered, when the creature screamed in agony when his flames danced across the hole. Natsu ignited both of his hands again and brought them together before striking down against the hole.

"FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!" he cried and pushed a large amount of power into his blow.

The creature shuddered and collapsed in an instant, not even offering another attack or scream in response. The flailing vines fell to the ground gracelessly and the forest was silent.

Natsu's chest heaved from the exertion and his muscles felt heavy but pride quickly overtook him. He smiled out towards his companions but his crow of victory died on his lips when he saw Lucy slumped across the ground. Loke was the last of her spirits to stay behind as he crouched by her head protectively.

Natsu rushed over as Loke checked her pulse. Blood pooled beneath her shoulder and her eyelids fluttered in pain and exhaustion.

"Lucy, what happened?" he asked, reaching out to check her wound.

Loke slapped his hand away and gathered the celestial spirit mage into his arms. "She was bitten by one of those flower heads. It shredded the muscles in her right shoulder and I think the bite is poisonous."

Natsu blanched. "We need to get help."

"I know. Where's the closest healer?"

The woman they had rescued stepped forward cautiously, her deep purple hair hung in sweat drenched strands beside her face. "There are some healers close by in Margaret Town. They have a guild there and should be able to help your friend."

"That's where we were headed," Natsu added.

"Go ask for the Sky Sisters of Lamia Scale," the lady offered. Her pale grey eyes skated over Lucy's limp form. "They will be able to cure her."

"Thank you, Miss," Loke smiled charmingly but Natsu did not miss the urgency in his tone. "Please point me in the right direction, if you would."

The lady pointed and the spirit sprinted off, leaving Natsu and Happy behind without thought.

"Will you be okay on your own?" Natsu asked the woman.

"I'll be okay now, thank you. I would have died without your help!" the lady tried to hand him a small wad of jewels from her pockets in gratitude. "Please, take this as thanks. I don't have much else."

"Your thank you is enough! Just call on Fairy Tail if you ever need anything else!" he waved and hurried off after Loke, refusing the gift.

* * *

The doors of Lamia Scale burst open like a clap of thunder as two sweat drenched mages ran in without decorum. Eyes turned to face the intruders, mages all around getting to their feet in anticipation.

"Help," gasped the pink headed one.

"We need a healer," panted the orange headed one as he clutched a third person to his chest. "She's lost a lot of blood."

"Please," the first one begged the onlookers. Onyx eyes searched through the room for anyone familiar and settled on a head of blue hair at the back of the room.

"Wendy," he pleaded, eyes darkening from having run so far so quickly. "Please save Lucy."

Natsu collapsed as Happy hovered cautiously overhead, panting heavily from his own flight. Loke laid Lucy down on the ground as his corporeal form began to fade, her magical energy finally running out.

"Forgive me, Princess," he whispered. "Please be safe."

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes to an unfamiliar wooden ceiling surrounded by three pairs of young unfamiliar eyes hovering over him with concern.

"Is he awake?" asked one as another turned away.

"He's waking up!" the one that turned away called out.

"I'm coming!" Feet shuffled across the floor and a fourth pair of eyes appeared in his line of sight.

"Wendy?" his voice cracked as he spoke. He was parched and his throat ached.

"Hey Natsu," the sky dragon slayer smiled brightly and wrapped her arms gently around his torso. The children scattered and left the room except for the one who has not spoken yet. "I'm glad to see you."

"Pfft. Fool should be more careful," the remaining girl spoke up.

Natsu turned to focus on the girl at his side. At least, he thought she was a girl. Height reaching no taller than Wendy, her face was layered in a soft coat of glistening white fur with shoulder length white hair topped with two cat ears. Long slender fingers straightened the red ribbon around her tail absentmindedly. Noticing his glance, she huffed and turned her nose upward in irritation.

"Carla?" he could recognize that snooty expression anywhere. "The hell happened to you?"

"Nothing _happened_ to me," the Exceed scoffed. "I've learned Transformation magic in order to enhance my magical capabilities."

"Awesome," he coughed dryly, wincing when he felt a tug at his side.

"Try not to move," Wendy cautioned. "You have some injuries I haven't gotten to heal yet."

"Don't wear yourself out, child," Carla reprimanded. "You spent all night stabilizing the other idiot. He'll be fine with a little bruising."

"The other-?" Natsu sat up quickly, ignoring the pain in his side. "Lucy! Is she okay?"

Wendy glanced to the other side of the room where a thin white curtain blocked their view. She frowned and twisted her hands together. "If Cheria had been here, we could have done more faster. It took me all night -."

"She's okay?" Natsu struggled to get to his feet. Wendy reached over to help but Natsu pushed her away.

"She's better." Wendy tried to guide him back to his bed. "You need to rest, Natsu."

"I need to see her," he insisted. He shuffled forward until his legs gave way beneath him. His body stopped before hitting the floor. Looking up in confusion, he saw Happy flying above him, holding him upright by the collar of his shirt.

"Hey, buddy," he cracked a smile. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Happy pulled Natsu to his feet but kept a firm hold on him.

"That's good," Natsu continued forward and thanked Wendy as she held back the white curtain for him to enter unopposed.

His breath caught in his chest when he caught sight of Lucy's form. White bandages crossed over her right shoulder to bind her wound but her skin was a mottled shade of yellow and red.

"I put blockers up to stop the poison from getting to her heart," Wendy whispered. "I need to rest before I can try to expunge it from her system though. Her shoulder and the extensive bleeding was our primary concern once the poison stopped spreading."

"She lost a lot of blood on our way here," Natsu's voice cracked again but he ignored his thirst.

"Cheria is supposed to be back from visiting her sister today," Wendy guided Natsu to a chair at Lucy's bedside. "We'll be able to get more done when she returns."

Natsu nodded blankly, eyes never leaving Lucy's sleeping face. "Has she woken up?"

Wendy shook her head, eyes downcast. "She probably won't until the poison is gone. We're lucky you got her here when you did."

"Why are you here anyway?" Carla spoke up from the edge of the curtain. "Why were you going through the forest for that matter when the road leads straight to town?"

"We were looking for you," Happy offered when they were met with Natsu's silence as he stroked Lucy's hand delicately. He settled at the foot of the bed and released his Aera magic. "Natsu heard a lady screaming in the forest and they ran in to help."

Wendy nodded and placed a comforting hand on Happy's head. "That forest is a dangerous place. That lady should not have been in there alone."

Happy shrugged. "Natsu wasn't going to let someone in need get hurt. Lucy either. We saved her from this giant plant monster that looked like it had consumed a lot of raw magical energy. Fairy Tail mages don't let monsters kill people!"

Carla and Wendy shared a look and gave Happy a small smile.

"Why were you looking for us, Happy?" Wendy asked. "We haven't heard from you guys since you left over a year ago. Did you need something?"

"Fairy Tail is back and we're gathering the troops," Happy exclaimed with a salute.

"Oh," Wendy said softly while Carla let out a sharp "Tch!"

"We were wondering when they would be coming for you," came a voice from the other side of the curtain. A hand reached around to withdraw the sheet and a tall, white haired male presented himself beside a small pink haired girl.

"Lyon! Cheria!" Wendy smiled brightly.

The pink haired girl embraced the young dragon slayer fondly. "It's good to see you, Wendy. I hear you need my help."

Wendy indicated to Lucy's unconscious form and pulled out her chart of notes. "I've made notations about her condition but I can't get the poison out. Something native to this area that I have not encountered and the poison is lingering in her system."

Cheria rolled up her sleeves as Lyon pulled Natsu away from Lucy's bedside. Natsu tried to fight the man's cold grip but allowed it when he noticed that Cheria was trying to get to work.

"Let's get you something to eat, Natsu. Lucy's in good hands." Lyon guided the reluctant dragon slayer towards the door, Happy following closely behind.

Cheria listened as Wendy described Lucy's condition upon arriving at their doorstep the day before and sent her magic probing into the sleeping mage. She numbed the nerves around the torn and healing flesh in Lucy's shoulder so she could move her body without disrupting Wendy's work.

"We should change her dressings first. I'll need to take a look at the entry point of the wound." Cheria motioned for Wendy to help her roll Lucy onto her stomach.

They cut the dressing slowly and peeled away the bandages to reveal the slowly knitting flesh beneath.

Cheria blew out a quick breath. "Wow. That must have been deep when she came in."

Wendy nodded. "Her skin was so cold and I almost couldn't hear her heartbeat."

"The poison is probably trying to congeal her blood so her body is functioning at minimal capacity." Cheria reached into the wound with her magic to feel out the damage dealt by the poison. "You did well to filter the blood entering her heart and to place the blockers. You must be exhausted."

"It's worth it for my friends," Wendy replied with a shrug. "I didn't have time to heal Natsu, though."

"He'll be fine," Carla quipped. "He has come back from far worse things than a bruised stomach."

"I'm curious about the coloring on Lucy's skin," Cheria mumbled, running a finger along the yellow and red blotches peppering Lucy's body. "It's unusual. I'll have to find the plant creature they encountered to run some tests."

"Our magic should be able to cure her, right?" Wendy asked tentatively.

"That's the idea. I haven't run into a poison I couldn't cure or purge. With the skin deterioration and how quickly it is trying to overtake her system, however... this one is going to be messy."

As the girls worked, Natsu and Happy ate quietly in the front wing of the guild hall. Natsu did not take in much of his surroundings but remained seated, listless while he waited. Even the food did not draw him into distraction. Happy watched his friend and tried to prod him into conversation. Their escort, Lyon Vastia had left them alone to go inform the guild master of their unexpected guests so they were left in peace.

"Lucy will be okay, Happy," Natsu reaffirmed after a while.

"Are you reassuring me or yourself?" Happy munched happily on a fresh cod fish that he had been given.

Natsu shrugged as he picked apart a piece of chicken with his fingers. "Both, I guess."

"Lucy's tough, Natsu," Lyon offered as he returned to their table. "Plus, if anyone can save her it's Wendy and Cheria. Our Sky Sisters are top notch healers."

"Sky Sisters?"

"It's their team name since Wendy and Carla joined. They both use sky magic, they're always together anyway, and the townspeople love them."

"I think we heard that term somewhere..."

"Natsu, it was the lady we saved in the forest! She told us to get the Sky Sisters to heal Lucy," Happy remembered the woman's words excitedly.

"I didn't think she meant Wendy."

Lyon laughed and another of their guild members, Yuka Suzuki, came over to join them. His large bushy eyebrows contrasted strangely with his short stature and long blue hair.

"Welcome to Lamia Scale, Natsu Dragneel and Happy of Fairy Tail," Yuka addressed them formally. "It has been some time since we have seen you last."

"They are here to return Wendy to her old guild, it seems," Lyon informed his comrade with a humorous glint in his eyes.

"I see," Yuka's eyebrows arched dramatically as he pondered Lyon's statement. "What shall we do about this instrusion, Lyon?"

"I'm not sure, Yuka. Perhaps we should... I couldn't though..."

"Are you thinking...?"

"I may just be..."

Natsu eyed the pair with confusion as they spoke in broken sentences. "What is it?"

"A duel," Lyon and Yuka stated simultaneously.

"Huh?"

"You'll have to fight us for her." Lyon stated plainly, his mouth set in a thin line.

"Yes," Yuka agreed. "We're not just going to let her go easily."

Natsu felt his blood start to boil, "Yeah? You think you can take me?"

"Ha! Easily," Lyon laughed. "We haven't been idle in your absence, Natsu. Lamia Scale can easily keep up with any Fairy Tail mage."

Natsu felt fire begin to lick his palms as the pressure to fight built up within him. "Bring it on, then!"

"I think we've already won. No need to fight," Yuka goaded the fire dragon slayer. "Wendy stays here."

"No! I'll fight you for her!" Natsu rose to his feet, ready to smash their guild to the ground at their challenge.

"Haha! There he is!" Lyon crowed with laughter. "It was tiring watching you mope around."

"What are you talking about? Wendy's coming back with us, so fight me!"

"Alas, it is Wendy's choice if she stays or goes," Lyon explained, pointing his finger outward from his chin. "Us fighting will not change her choices."

"Come on! I want to fight now!" Natsu's fire expanded outwards as he powered up.

"No one fights in this guild hall or I will spin you!" came a shrill voice from the front lobby. An elderly woman in a maroon cloak with long earlobes and a huge bun wandered into the hall, twirling her index finger as she went.

"Master Ooba!" Lyon and Yuka jumped to their feet in respect for the arrival of the Master of Lamia Scale.

"Such a ruckus so early in the morning," she reprimanded, finger still twirling. "Why are you starting a fight in the middle of my guild, Lyon?"

"Just trying to cheer up our wayward guest while his teammate heals, Master!" Lyon began to sweat at the sight of the Master's twirling finger.

"Hmm, I see. Young man!" she barked, addressing Natsu. "Your friend will survive so chin up and don't destroy my guild! This isn't Fairy Tail, you know. I won't stand for unnecessary damage!"

"Yes ma'am!" Natsu yipped, sitting back down to his meal. Laughter echoed throughout the hall as other Lamia Scale guild members reacted to the spectacle they had made. Natsu found himself smiling along with them, despite his worries, and dug into his food with renewed fervor.

Back in the guild's infirmary, Cheria prepared to extract the poison from its origination point in Lucy's shoulder. She reasoned that it was the location of the most concentrated dose and they could destroy it as it exited the wound. She coaxed her magic around each vein of poison that spread throughout Lucy's body and urged the poison out.

Lucy's body began to convulse as they worked. Wendy and Carla struggled to keep her steady while Cheria worked but had to break and get help from someone stronger. Natsu burst into the infirmary without hesitation and between the three of them they were able to keep her steady enough to allow Cheria to work.

Orange streams of sappy poison started to ooze out of Lucy's wound, releasing a putrid odor that made Natsu and Wendy gag. Lucy whimpered in pain but remained unconscious. They worked for long agonizing hours and at one point Cheria and Wendy had to trade jobs. Natsu watched as Lucy's skin began to revert back to its normal coloring and hoped it was a sign that her treatment was working.

As the sun began to set again, Wendy took a step back and wiped the sweat from her brow. "I've done all that I can do. Cheria, will you check for me?"

"I already have. I sense no trace of the poison left in Lucy's body." Cheria released her tight grip on Lucy's legs.

"You girls need to rest now," Carla insisted. She had reverted back to her smaller feline form during the afternoon when Lucy's convulsions had calmed down. "Go get some sleep."

"We need to redress the wound first," Wendy pulled out a fresh roll of bandages. "It can't air out in this condition."

"I'll do it." Natsu remained at Lucy's head, brushing sweat soaked locks from her face. He looked up at Wendy and Cheria and gave them a reassuring smile. "Thank you for everything you have done."

"Of course, Natsu." Wendy smiled brightly and handed him the dressings. "Make sure you clean it with fresh water and wrap it tightly. I'll come check on it later and we'll resume healing as soon as possible."

Natsu nodded while Happy went out to fetch a bowl of clean water. Wendy, Cheria, and Carla retreated from the room and left the dragon slayer to care for Lucy. Alone for a moment, Natsu held Lucy as carefully as he could and gently wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, Luce," he whispered into his one-sided embrace. "You'd beat me if you were conscious saying I didn't do anything wrong but I feel like I let you down. It's my turn to care for you this time so you get better, okay?"

His eyes burned with unshed tears but he willfully pushed them back as he adjusted his position to do his job. Happy returned with the cool, clean water and together they washed and bandaged the gaping injury on Lucy's back before settling in to wait for her recovery.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm going to be honest with you, whenever I get a review, I start power-writing for at least an hour at a time. Your support and interest in this story makes me want to please you more. Thank you all!**

 **That being said, I hit an inspiration swamp and got stuck but it is here now! -xoxo**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

Lucy did not wake the next day either. Wendy and Cheria returned before dawn to finish closing her wound and to change the bandages Natsu and Happy had so carefully wrapped around her. Before they left, they worked on Natsu's injuries as he slept. He had heavy bruising across his abdomen and his fractured ribs were at risk again but he was otherwise healthy so the process went by without much notice.

Natsu waited at Lucy's bedside as the color of her skin continued to shift back to normal. The red splotches were gone but a yellow tinge lingered to remind him of her pain. Other than the slow rise and fall of her breathing, she did not move. Natsu and Happy took turns lifting her arms and legs to keep the blood moving through her limbs.

 _Come on, Lucy,_ he urged silently. _I need you to wake up now._

"Staring at her isn't going to make her wake up faster, you know," Wendy commented from the doorway.

"I don't have much else to do," Natsu replied, his voice raspy.

"You're dehydrated. Come on, let's go get something to drink." Wendy tugged at his hand gently. "You'll cramp up if you sit too long."

Natsu tried to wave her off but the young girl was stronger than he remembered. She pulled him upright and dragged him out of the infirmary, her eyes fierce and determined.

"Alright. Alright," he agreed. He allowed Wendy to guide him back into the guild's main hall where Happy was already trying to coax Carla's affection out with a neatly wrapped fish. The room was warm and smelled like freshly baked bread. A quiet chatter filled the hall as guild members came and went, wandering between the request board and the kitchen.

Lyon and Yuka greeted him as he joined their table. Cheria brought him a pitcher of water and a bowl of fruit and sweet meats to encourage his appetite. Natsu found his mouth watering at the sight despite his stomach curling in displeasure.

"We were thinking about escorting Cheria to the forest where you destroyed that plant creature so she can take some samples," Lyon started, taking a pear from Natsu's fruit bowl. "Want to come with us?"

"I shouldn't leave Lucy," Natsu responded hastily, reluctant to go far.

"Not a lot you can do while she's sleeping though, right?"

"I should be here when she wakes up."

"Natsu," Wendy joined in tentatively. "Lucy is safe here, I promise. She'll wake up when she's ready and I'll be here if that happens while you are out. Cheria could really use your help."

"Plus," Lyon added. "I was serious about that fight yesterday. We've never really faced off since our first match on Galuna Island. I want to see if your skills are improving!"

Natsu could not help but grin at the man's insistence. "Who am I to turn down a challenge? Should we have a go now?"

"And have the Master destroy us?" Lyon looked stricken by the idea. "We'll wait until we're out of range and in the forest."

"You might be used to frequent construction work but our guild prefers the hall to stay in one piece," Yuka added simply.

Natsu waved off the commentary and dug into his food eagerly. The promise of a good fight convinced his body that food was necessary and dulled his nausea. They left shortly after with Happy and Toby, another guild member, tagging along to watch. It was a day off for some of the other guild members as well but rumors of Natsu's destructive habits kept them far away from the pending battle.

The trek back into the forest took longer than anyone expected until Natsu explained that they he and Loke had boosted their magical abilities to run faster to get help in time. Natsu let his senses run wild as they walked, taking in the crisp earthy smell of the forest after the rain and listening to birds eagerly digging for unearthed worms that had been disturbed by the storm. Everything looked vibrant in all directions and fed into Natsu's growing energy.

They walked in silence for most of the trip until Cheria jogged to keep pace with Natsu.

She frowned at the concern still engraved in Natsu's features. "You're still worrying about Lucy, aren't you?"

Natsu nodded as he pulled a large leaf off of a nearby fern. "It worries me that she hasn't woken up yet."

"She took a lot of damage. She will probably sleep until tomorrow but she will wake up. Sleep is really good for her right now."

Happy flew up to join their conversation. "Knowing Lucy, she'll be back on her feet and yelling at us in no time. I say let her sleep!"

Natsu laughed and smiled as flashes of the blonde's feisty behavior crossed his mind. "Her kicks have gotten really powerful."

Cheria laughed with them, subtly pushing her healing magic into Natsu to help calm his anxiety. She caught Lyon's eye for a moment and shrugged in innocence at his gaze.

"Hey Natsu! Have you beaten Gray in a fight yet?" Lyon challenged.

Natsu felt himself react to Lyon's statement and bristled with irritation. "That popsicle has never beaten me!"

"I doubt that." Lyon's tone stayed cool to rib Natsu further.

"He's not so great," Natsu grumbled. "Plus that coward hasn't shown his face yet. When he does I'll kick his ass!"

"If you can beat me I might just believe you."

Natsu turned to face the Ice Make mage with a grin. "You think you can take me?"

"You know I can, Fire Boy," Lyon removed his high-collared tunic with a flourish, bare chest gleaming with sweat from their walk. He readied his stance in preparation to cast his two-handed Ice Make spells.

Natsu chuckled and let the burning excitement inside him flow out towards his clenched fists. Fire came to life in his palms and he could feel his own magical energy pulsing through his veins. He felt a thrill when he fought. It was a test of skill and he was eager to prove himself.

"Don't get cocky," he teased. "Seven years on us didn't make you stronger. It just made you old."

Lyon's brow twitched at the dig and his magical energy swirled around him, begging for release. "At least I wasn't taking a nap under some tree like an infant."

Both Natsu and Lyon knew very well that each mage was highly skilled in their own right; proven by their performances in the Grand Magic Games and through numerous victories in their battles to save Earthland. That being said, the polarity of their magics drove them to taunt the other without question and both would willingly admit that they took pleasure in these pre-game tendencies.

Natsu made the first strike and lashed out with his fists. "FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST!"

Lyon dodged the attack easily and moved swiftly to Natsu's right. Natsu spun and kicked out a foot in another attack. "FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW!"

"ICE-MAKE: SHIELD!" Lyon cast quickly, using a Static Ice-Make move to counter the fire. His intention was to deflect Natsu's attack only and he used the momentary recovery time to cast another spell.

"ICE-MAKE: WATER SERPENT!"

Ice sprung from the ground as a giant serpentine creature burst to life and charged at Natsu. The fire dragon slayer bounced back but was too slow. The water serpent collided with his chest, knocking him backwards and creating a frozen layer of ice around Natsu's body.

 _Fuck_ , Natsu grumbled internally. _He's gotten faster._

Before the ice could harden completely, Natsu engulfed his body in flame and the ice evaporated almost instantly. He raised both fists to his mouth and shouted, "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!"

A plume of fire erupted from his mouth to target Lyon. As Lyon tried to dodge, Natsu kept the stream of fire going and followed his path. Suddenly they were surrounded by a wide ring of fire with no room to escape. Lyon started to sweat, unaccustomed to the raging heat that Natsu could produce.

"You've mastered your Roar?" Lyon shouted over the crackling of the flames. "I'll admit, I'm impressed."

Natsu grinned smugly. The heat did not bother him but he could see his opponent searching for a way out.

Lyon chuckled. "Like you said, don't get cocky, slayer. ICE-MAKE: ICE GEYSER!"

The ground in front of Lyon froze and a tower of ice burst out of the earth to impale Natsu. Natsu used the upwards momentum of the geyser to launch himself into the air and pushed himself into Lyon's face. "FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN!"

His entire body was ablaze and rushing towards Lyon who could not dodge without moving head first into a wall of fire. Natsu's skull connected with Lyon's stomach and both men were thrown to the ground. They groaned simultaneously at the aches they felt now and the others they would be feeling in the morning.

Lyon brought his fists together from where he lay and cried, "ICE-MAKE: EAGLE!"

A flock of icy birds flew towards Natsu. He rolled to his feet to dodge and yelped when the birds changed course mid-air to follow him. They crashed into his body individually, knocking him back onto the ground.

Lyon struggled to his feet and waited as Natsu did the same, flames spouting from every orifice. They were both panting and grinning, the rush of their battle still shooting waves of adrenaline into their systems.

"Looks like I'm going to have to step it up if I want to beat you," Natsu laughed.

"Don't toy with me, Natsu. Give me all you've got."

"Alright! I'm getting fired up now," Natsu crowed and charged again. He used his flames to boost his speed to a point where Lyon could not see him against the wall of flames.

Lyon spun in circles trying to identify Natsu's location and panic started to set in when he could not find the slayer anywhere. He felt their enclosure getting hotter by the second and sweat began to pour down his face in droves.

"Where are you?" he called out.

"FIRE DRAGON'S GRIP STRIKE!" was Natsu's response. A hand leapt out of the flames and grabbed on to Lyon's arm only to shoot a blast of fire at him point blank.

Lyon was thrown back into the center of the ring. He lay there dazed for a moment before bursting out into laughter and raising his arms in defeat.

The flame wall around them disappeared. Natsu looked around in surprise before spotting Yuka with his arms raised, using his Anti-Mage Wave Magic to cancel out the raging inferno.

Cheria darted forward to check Lyon and send a little healing magic into his body. Lyon waved her off and she ran over to check Natsu as well. Both men propped themselves up against a tree to drink some water and rest.

"Crap, Natsu," Lyon panted, still trying to regain his breath. "What the hell have you been doing to push out that much power? You were holding back on me, I could tell."

"I was holding back when I melted the Domus Flau, too," Natsu smiled and plucked at a piece of grass.

"You really did that? I thought the newspapers were exaggerating."

Natsu shook his head, embarrassed. "No exaggerations. Lucy couldn't believe the king let me go."

"I'm amazed he isn't making you pay for rebuilding it!" Yuka frowned down from where he stood before the resting pair.

"At least it wasn't dragons destroying the entire city this year!" Natsu crossed his arms with a pout. "It was my first real fight since running into Gildarts. I got excited."

His companions laughed heartily. Lyon clapped him on the back, "Maybe we should disappear into the mountains for a year. Living off the land really seems to work for Fairy Tail mages."

Natsu smiled along with them but his thoughts turned to Igneel and the great fire dragon's last moments with his chosen son. Sadness crept into his heart and settled like an old friend. His grief was familiar now and did not shake him as hard as it had at first. Still, it lingered on and occasionally reminded Natsu of its presence.

The group carried on and reached the torn up patch of forest where the defeated plant creature still lay. The Lamia Scale guild members gaped at the massive beast and choked on the gaseous fumes it released in death. Cheria deduced that the fumes were not poisonous like Lucy's bite but it would be best if they did not linger long.

They collected samples and fragments from the plant's vines, flowery heads and meaty center. Toby curiously picked at the fleshy innards of the creature and wondered, loudly, if it was edible. When Cheria was satisfied with what they had been able to collect, she had Lyon freeze her samples and they headed back to the guild.

After a large dinner and a welcome bath, Natsu returned to the infirmary to check on Lucy. Happy was seated by the young Celestial Mage's feet, watching as Wendy and Carla tended to her sleeping form.

"How is she?" Natsu asked quietly so as not to startle the room's occupants.

"Still sleeping," Wendy replied softly. Carla stepped around the bed and gathered up a pile of damp towels and dirty sheets.

"We gave her a bath and changed the sheets while you were gone," the white Exceed explained. She was in her humanoid form again and Happy watched her move, grumbling under his breath about it being 'weird' and how she was 'prettier as a cat'.

"I'm sure she'll be grateful for everything you have done for her," Natsu said appreciatively.

Carla bristled and stepped out of the infirmary.

"Sorry," Wendy's voice followed her companion's departure. "She is upset."

"Why?" Happy asked hurriedly, eyes bright with worry. "Did something happen to her?"

Wendy shook her head and scratched behind Happy's ears gently. "She is just worried about me. It's nothing for you to fret over."

Natsu took a seat by Lucy's side, reaching for the unconscious woman's hand before replying. "Why is she worried about you? Are you okay?"

Wendy nodded quickly, her strained smile remaining firmly in place. "Carla and I have been talking about returning with you guys to Fairy Tail. Cheria is supportive of it but..."

"You've been happy here," Natsu finished.

Wendy nodded again slowly and her smile faltered a little. "They've been really good to us here. We've moved guilds before so it wasn't new for us but Carla is right. We don't want to keep moving around and Fairy Tail... is it really back, Natsu?"

Natsu grinned at the Sky Dragon Slayer and nodded enthusiastically. "We're taking our renewal papers to the Council next. You were our first stop, then the Council to get Fairy Tail back on the books."

"That's good." Wendy's voice was a soft whisper and would have drifted away unnoticed if Natsu had not been listening.

"We really miss you, Wendy," Natsu offered hopefully.

"You and Carla," Happy added.

Wendy smiled. "We missed you too. Even if Carla shows it less, we were both crushed when Master asked us to leave."

"We won't let anyone disband us again," Natsu promised with a hand over his heart. "Master can leave if he wants to but Fairy Tail is forever."

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Wendy laughed and nodded. "Thank you, Natsu. Happy."

"Now, how can I help with Lucy?" Natsu looked down at the limp hand in his grasp.

"I was going to try brushing out her hair next," Wendy suggested. "But it's gotten so long and it's hard to keep her upright."

Natsu moved to Lucy's head and lifted her up gently. He slipped into a seated position behind her and wrapped an arm firmly around her waist to keep her supported. His left hand slid gently beneath her uninjured shoulder and back up to cup her chin in his palm to keep her head steady.

"Will this help?"

"Mhmm!" Wendy nodded and grabbed the brush by her bedside. She began from the bottom ends of Lucy's waist-long hair and slowly brushed out the knots that had developed along the soft strands.

"I've always loved Lucy's hair," the young girl murmured, pulling the brush through the blonde locks again and again. "It's gotten so long."

"It smells nice," Natsu agreed.

"It's soft," Wendy added.

"It's pretty," Natsu whispered. Even in the dim lacrima light that bathed the infirmary, Lucy's hair shone like brightly polished gold.

Wendy giggled and continued to brush Lucy's hair. After a while she parted the hair down the middle and proceeded to braid both halves in two tight columns.

"This should keep it out of her way for a while in case she finds it difficult to use her arm," Wendy explained as she tied each one off. She stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of her dress. "I'm going to go grab dinner and get some sleep. Do you need anything?"

Natsu shook his head and Wendy let herself out. Happy followed close behind with the intention of checking on his fellow Exceed. Natsu released his hold on Lucy and let her lean back against his chest. He shifted into a more comfortable position with his legs stretched out to either side and Lucy turned into him in his lap. He heard her breathing hitch in her sleep until she took a deep breath and shifted slightly to settle in to her new position.

Natsu wrapped his arms around her in a tender embrace and let them rest gently on her narrow waist. He felt something stirring in his stomach. It was not hunger, that was a different sound, and it was not anger either. It was a protective growl that purred with content and it lit a second, hotter fire next to the his magic. Before he could dwell on it, exhaustion crept into his bones and he succumbed to the seductive pull of sleep.

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes to bright white walls and the piercing glare of sunlight beating onto her face. She was enveloped with heat and unfamiliar surroundings. She tried to move but found her muscles stiff, sore, and hard to move.

"Lucy?" came a deep, sleepy voice from behind her.

She turned her head to see Natsu's face inches from her own. He lifted his head slowly from the pillow they shared. It wasn't until he lifted his arm from her waist to wipe the sleep from his eyes that she realized the heat surrounding her came directly from him.

"You're awake," he whispered, as though she would disappear if he spoke any louder. Still, she heard the relief in his voice.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Lamia Scale's infirmary ward. You've been asleep for a few days."

"Days?" she could not believe it. The last thing she remembered was fighting that... creature in the forest. "What happened?"

He shrugged and moved to untangle himself from the bed. Their limbs had become entwined in sleep so extracting himself without disturbing her proved to be impossible.

"Sorry," he muttered and helped her readjust into a seated position. Natsu took a seat in the chair at Lucy's bedside and grasped her hand. She noticed that he would not meet her eye.

"What happened, Natsu?" she urged gently and squeezed his hand.

"You were poisoned by the bite you took from that monster," he whispered. "Loke and I ran here with you and Wendy got to you in time."

She heard him falter and wished she could see his face. "Natsu, look at me."

She saw his shoulders shake once before he looked up. His eyes brimmed with unshed tears and her heart clenched.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you, Lucy." Natsu choked as he tried to speak, silently willing his tears to stay hidden.

Lucy smiled warmly and cupped Natsu's cheek with her free hand. "What are you talking about, silly? You made it here, didn't you? I'm still alive, right? Nothing permanently mutilated or missing that I can see."

Natsu sniffed loudly and looked away again. "Cheria and Wendy did everything they could for it but they had to focus on the poison once they stopped the bleeding."

"Am I going to have a wicked scar after this?" Lucy asked as calmly as she could. _He must think I am so vain if a scar is going to ruin my life. To be fair, I've never been quiet about my looks and it's not like I'm thrilled to have a scar but it's not the end of the world... He's probably beating himself up about this._

Natsu nodded and his shoulders shook again as tears started to pour silently down his cheeks.

"Come here," she demanded and held her arms out. He crawled back onto the bed slowly to wrap his own arms around her middle and nestled into her embrace.

"I'm sorry," he whispered again.

"That is the last apology I want to hear about this, Natsu," she spoke firmly. "Your quick thinking and abilities to defeat that creature gave you enough time to get me here safely. You protected me by getting me the help I needed when I got hurt."

"I know, but-"

"No 'buts' about it. We get hurt doing what we do, helping people who need help. If it wasn't for your amazing abilities, we wouldn't have known that woman needed saving and that was a life we wouldn't have helped. I'm alive, we helped someone... You did good."

Natsu nodded once and hugged Lucy tighter. "You were so pale and sick..."

"Am I better now?" she ran a hand through his mop of fluffy pink hair in soothing circles.

He nodded and purred lightly at her touch.

"Am I missing any limbs?"

Natsu shook his head 'no'.

"Is my life in any more danger?"

Another shake.

"We're a team. I rely on you to be there when I need you and once again you've proven that I put my trust in the right place. Thank you for saving my life, Natsu." Lucy pressed her lips into Natsu's hair and hugged him as tightly as she could.

 _I'd be lost without you_. It was a twin thought echoed in two minds that remained unspoken. Each knew how precious their bond was and both cherished one another more in that single moment than ever before. They bathed in the moment and allowed the silence to fall comfortably around their embrace.

Lucy broke the silence first but did not withdraw from her place in Natsu's arms. "So tell me what Wendy said. I'm sure you've asked her to come back if we've already been here for a few days. Don't tell me you've been slacking on our job!"

Natsu looked up, fearing Lucy's wrath, but found her smiling brightly down at him. He could not help but smile back and began from the beginning, regaling Lucy with the full story of events that had happened since their arrival in Margaret Town.

* * *

 **A/N: I had a really good question pop up in my reviews about whether I will be adding lemons in to this story. The answer is yes (at some point). I'm writing this as naturally as possible but your feedback is helpful! Let me know if the pacing is too slow.**

 **Apologies for the shorter chapter. Trying to pack and move and got engrossed in another story. Oops!**

 **I surpassed my max daily views with over 500 views in one day with that last chapter PLUS surpassing 90 followers. I am so grateful for my followers and continued readers. Thank you for believing in me and supporting me! -xoxo**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

Lucy ate breakfast with as much gusto as Natsu on a normal day. She forwent her small, delicate bites for large heaping mounds that she shoved into her mouth. They had managed to feed her small amounts of soup while she slept but her body needed nourishment once she woke up. The Lamia Scale guild's kitchen whipped up a hearty batch of omelets, fresh bread and fruit that made even Carla's mouth water.

 _It's nice to catch up with the Lamia Scale members,_ Lucy mused while watching Natsu and Lyon banter about another rematch. _Especially after our seven year gap in time and the chaos after the Grand Magic Games, everyone keeps drifting apart. It's good that we came here._

Lucy listened with interest as Cheria and Wendy spoke of their temporary team up as the 'Sky Sisters' but she marveled most over watching Carla work on her Transformation magic. Lucy demonstrated her Star Dress spells when prompted by the intrigued Sky mages but inadvertently ended up calling out Loke as well.

She rolled her eyes in mock irritation at his fussing over her well being and laughed with the others when he was quickly distracted by a pod of flirty girls eyeing him cheekily from the opposite corner of the hall. Before he could embarrass Fairy Tail by chasing skirts in another guild, Lucy closed his Gate and shoved her keys away. She sent a silent promise through her magic that she would call him out again to talk once there were fewer people around and she had regained more of her strength.

"Are you really sure you want to come back with us?" Lucy asked Wendy for the hundredth time. When she found out that the young dragon slayer had agreed to return to Fairy Tail during her recovery, she was overjoyed but concerned when she saw the closeness she had developed with her fellow Sky Mage.

"Yes, Lucy," Wendy insisted without a trace of irritation. "We mostly took jobs that enhanced our healing abilities and helped locally."

"Don't be modest, Wendy," Carla interjected haughtily. "You took on that big monster that was terrorizing a local village last month. By yourself. She was most impressive."

Wendy looked down and fiddled with a ribbon at her waist. "I didn't want to hurt the poor thing. He was probably so scared."

 _Her kindness knows no bounds,_ Lucy thought in passing. "That's amazing Wendy."

"She can even cast minor healing magic on herself now!" Cheria exclaimed, grasping Wendy's hand tightly. "We've been trading enchantment spells and getting a lot stronger!"

"Their battles are still quite evenly matched," Yuka offered from across the table.

"You'll have to come visit sometime so we can watch a rematch!" Natsu piped up, echoing the remnants of his conversation with Lyon.

Lucy nodded in agreement. "Or we can come back here sometime, too."

"Really?" Wendy's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Of course!" Lucy pulled her into a gentle hug. "Fairy Tail's friends are never too far for a visit. Anyway, it's not like we're forcing you to live in a tower or chaining you to the guild hall. You can come and go whenever you'd like."

Wendy's eyes watered and she smiled gratefully.

"I'm so happy!" she wailed.

The morning passed and the party of five began to say their final goodbyes. Lucy thanked Cheria for helping save her life and the guild master for allowing their extended stay. Natsu waved as Wendy hugged everyone and they headed out to continue their quest.

Wendy and Carla listened with rapt attention as Lucy explained their plans. On to Era and then to the North with the hopes of coming across rumors of other lingering members. Wendy offered her own insights to the locations of other members, like seeing Jet and Droy heading South or Gildarts heading Northeast towards the ocean on the "final request" he had mentioned in passing.

"Do you think he got picked up by another guild?" Lucy mused.

"Hell no!" Natsu exclaimed. "That old man was more devoted to this guild than any of us. He'd wander around aimlessly before shacking up with another shitty guild."

Natsu ignored Wendy and Carla's simultaneous reactions to defend Lamia Scale. "Gramps probably sent him to do something important. He probably doesn't even know the guild disbanded yet."

"Once we get these papers submitted to the Council, he won't have to find out until it's no longer relevant and we're official again." Lucy placed her hand on the satchel at her waist.

"We're a little less than a week away on foot at the rate we're going," Wendy informed them handily. "There are a few towns along the way if we follow this road and it'll be pretty easy to scrape up some food as we go. There are a few prime hunting spots between here and the capital."

"You sure know a lot about it, Wendy," Happy commented while staring shamelessly at Carla. The white Exceed did her best to ignore his constant attention.

Wendy nodded with a smile. "Cheria and I took a lot of jobs between here and the capital. There were a lot of injuries from a rock slide to a collapsed mine. Also a magically transmitted disease was developed by a minor dark guild that we had to develop a cure for. There was a lot of travelling for work so I've learned a lot about the area."

"That makes sense," Lucy thought that Wendy was sounding far more worldly than she had ever known the young dragon slayer to be. "Have your healing abilities improved with all your training? Cheria mentioned it briefly this morning but I know you were still feeling pretty limited in that regard last year."

"Oh yes!" Wendy told them stories about her training with Cheria and Carla over the months. She gushed about her new spells and, most impressively, her newfound ability to heal her own minor wounds.

As they walked, they each shared their own stories about their time apart. Lucy shared her experiences working with the magazine and some of the people she met while Wendy and Carla talked animatedly about the bizarre behaviors of the Lamia Scale guild members. Natsu and Happy talked about spending all of their savings and having to take a job on the docks of a crummy port town to make enough money to refresh their gear.

"It was awful," Happy bemoaned. "I thought I was going to hate the smell of fish forever!"

"All you did was sit on a box and watch me load and unload crates. You almost got me fired for eating one guy's catch!" Natsu flicked a pea sized ball of flame at the smirking Exceed who dodged it easily.

Their path changed from thick forest foliage to wide plains that spread out for miles. Tall grass sprouted from the earth, yellow and dry. A short breeze picked up and the plains were filled with the chattering rustle of grass and the upset buzzing of insects being disturbed from their afternoon rest.

A flock of small swallows burst from the grass and, in a flurry of feathers and beaks, the birds descended on the insects to devour their convenient prey. The group fell silent as they witnessed this marvel of nature, keen to observe the balancing of life before them.

Their silence remained as they continued to move forward, each bound by their own thoughts and observations.

The group finally reached their first stop as night was descending on the plains. As the first signs of life breached their view they picked up the pace and hurried to find lodging. A warm, inviting column of smoke rose from a brick chimney in the center of town. A lodge of reputable size joined the chimney at its base and looked as though the town had been built around the cozy establishment.

Lucy felt her feet get heavy and each new step was another towards utter exhaustion. They trudged up to the door of the inn and, before they could go in, Natsu rested his head against the closed door, grateful that they had arrived at last.

Desperate to get out of her shoes, Lucy reached around him and twisted the door handle. The front door swung inwards, causing Natsu to stumble across the threshold. The front desk manager greeted them kindly as they paid for two rooms and led them down a dimly lit hallway to show them in.

Wendy and Carla hurried into one while Happy eagerly explored the other. Natsu and Lucy paused at their respective doorways before sharing a look.

"Goodnight, Natsu," Lucy spoke softly, as though her words were precious and secret. It was an odd thought that they would be separate rooms for the first time on their travels.

"Sweet dreams, Luce," Natsu replied with a grin.

Lucy felt her face warm at his gaze but gave him a smile in return. They stood there a moment longer before realizing they were both waiting for the other to head in first.

Sharing a light chuckle at their own expense they turned away and stepped into their rooms, seeking a good rest.

* * *

Lucy found sleep to be an elusive thing this night. After partaking in a hot bath to soothe her feet, she and Wendy climbed into the large bed to talk for a while longer. Wendy found sleep easily with Carla resting snugly beside her but Lucy was not so fortunate.

She considered her recovery and that the days she had spent sleeping were the cause of her unrest, but she felt the ache of sleep pulling from her worn muscles and dismissed the likelihood of that reason.

 _Maybe meditating will help me sleep,_ she thought practically. _I'll use the clarity to shut my brain down for a while._

Lucy attempted to slow her breathing to an even pace and let her mind drift into the meditative state she practiced frequently with Capricorn. The exercise did not have the desired effects she had hoped as unbidden images began flooding her mind like lost memories coming home.

She was back in the forest where she had once been greeted in a dream by all of her beloved spirits. The natural floral archways remained only this time she walked alone. As she reached the clearing, she saw that the box made of white wood was there waiting peacefully on its golden pedestal, untouched above the wreckage left behind from the sea that had invaded its borders before.

"I don't understand," she whispered. "What is this place?"

She placed her hand cautiously upon the box lid and felt the thrum of power that stormed within its casing. So many feelings were roiling beneath its carved surface but Lucy could not move away.

She took a deep breath and lifted the edge of the box.

Blue and gold lights filtered her vision as new images flashed before her eyes.

She was standing at the edge of a tumultuous sea where waves crashed heavily on a rocky shore. She was above the water this time instead of downing in it.

She hovered above a giant city, militant in its design. People scurried like ants, busy and unassuming, while banners of green fluttered above them in the wind.

A woman with short green hair held a photo of the box from the forest only the coloring and markings were wrong. Hastily scratched notes covered pages of research and a fearful expression filled the stranger's face. "What if I can't find it?" the strange woman muttered.

Lucy came back to the box in the clearing as the scenes faded from before her. Blue and gold lights swirled around her like a shield but moved out of her way as she looked down at the white wood again.

There were words inscribed at the bottom of the box. Something burned in Lucy's chest as she read them. A feeling of overwhelming sadness and guilt filled her but she did not understand the cause. She read the words one more time as the lights began to fade and sleep came for Lucy at last.

\- _Come find me._ -

* * *

Natsu woke to the sound of Wendy's screams. With a glance out the window, he guessed that he could not have been asleep for more than an hour or two.

"Natsu! Help!"

He leapt to his feet, threw on his pants and rushed into the neighboring room his female companions shared. He stopped short at the site that greeted him beyond the door.

Lucy was hovering above the bed, a golden light surrounding her that seemed to originate from a place near her heart. Her arms dangled back towards the bed as gravity tried to pull her back down. Her eyes were open but unfocused and unseeing.

"Wendy, get back," he called, reaching out to the terrified young girl.

She rushed to his side, tears streaming down her face. "I don't know what happened! I was asleep but the light woke me up."

"Wendy-."

"Nothing I try works! I can't heal her or wake her up!"

Natsu could see that Wendy was close to full blown panic. Even Carla was stunned into silence and trembling in Wendy's arms. Natsu gripped Wendy by the shoulders and forced her to make eye contact with him.

"Wendy, I need you to stay back. Lucy is going to be okay."

"She is?" Wendy looked hopeful as she asked.

Natsu nodded. "This is the manifestation of Lucy's magic. I've seen it before when she was meditating."

"She floats like she's possessed when she meditates?" Carla scoffed disbelievingly.

"I haven't seen that before, no," he admitted. "That is definitely new."

"Then why-"

" _That_ is why I want the two of you to head to my room until I tell you it's safe to come back."

"What are you going to do?" Wendy did not want to leave but she knew she had to trust Natsu and his belief that he could help Lucy.

"I'm going to wake her up," he said calmly despite the fear and uncertainty that swirled in his belly.

He waited until Wendy and Carla had shut the door tightly behind them before approaching the suspended Celestial Spirit Mage. Her magic whipped around her like a nest of angry vipers ready to strike.

"Lucy?" he called softly but held little hope that his words would affect her current state.

 _If Wendy's screaming didn't wake her up, I don't know what would,_ he mused.

He stepped closer. He could feel her magic filling the room. If it was all released at once she would probably level the inn. Natsu reached a hand towards her but quickly withdrew it when the tendrils lashed out at him.

Another step forward. He could see her blank stare more clearly. The emptiness in her eyes unnerved him.

"Lucy, it's me. I'm not going to hurt you," he spoke low and reached out again. "Let me in, Lucy."

The tendrils did not strike this time but continued to hover cautiously, reminding him of their presence.

"I need to wake her up now," Natsu spoke to the manifestation of her magic. The tendrils lashed out again in warning and Natsu received the message that he would not be allowed to wake her.

"Is she safe? I'm worried."

One of the beams of magic laced its way across Natsu's shoulders. A warmth like sunlight spread through him and it felt like Lucy herself was hugging him. She was safe.

"I see. Let me stay here, just in case."

The magic withdrew from him and retreated to reform as a protective cocoon around Lucy. Natsu took a seat at the edge of the bed and watched the bizarre spectacle around her. He found her magic as beautiful as he had that first night on the balcony in Oshibana but only now did he see it for what it was. Powerful and protective, sure, but ultimately peaceful at its core.

Minutes passed until suddenly the glow near her heart brightened and a shimmer of blue light began to ebb its way into the dreams of gold. It flexed and flowed around her like an angry river.

"What is happening?" he shouted but received no response. Natsu was growing frustrated and pulled roughly at his hair and scarf. He hated feeling useless.

 _Lucy... Please wake up. Come back from this. I need you._ His thoughts cycled repetitively.

The first sign of life he got from Lucy appeared when the blonde mage began muttering the same three words over and over again.

"Come find me," she muttered. "Come find me. Come find me."

"What do you mean, Lucy?" Natsu felt confusion mix with panic at the sudden change in her behavior. This was even more alarming than the silence.

"Come find me."

"You're right here, Lucy."

"Come find me!" her volume was increasing. Her magic was pulsing hard.

"Lucy! Snap out of it! I don't have to find you, you're right here. Wake up!"

"Come find me!" her eyes were going in and out of focus, flickering gold and blue hues. A black symbol Natsu thought he recognized appeared across her chest.

Natsu reached through the field of magic surrounding her and grasped her hand, ignoring the pain as her magic whipped at him.

"LUCE!"

The magic stilled. Lucy gasped and the light retracted back into the glowing ball at her chest. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head but before she could fall, Natsu had his arms already beneath her and guided her body to rest gently on the bed.

He stared at his best friend for a moment, replaying the scene in his mind, and the budding concern he felt for her grew. He started to pull the blankets up to cover her scantily clad form when Lucy's eyes flickered open and immediately zeroed in on Natsu at her bedside.

"Natsu. Why are you in my room?" Her voice held the undertone of a threat for suspicions he did not want to be accused for.

"Your magic went haywire for a little bit," he explained quickly. "I assume you were meditating again, but it scared Wendy so I came in the help out."

Lucy looked over at the empty half of the bed beside her. "I didn't hurt her, did I?"

Natsu shook his head. "She was just startled. Luckily I've seen your magic manifest like that before, otherwise I'd be breaking down some doors looking for the culprit."

"You have? When?" Lucy's brow furrowed, trying to remember the last time she had been able to meditate.

"That first night on the hotel balcony in Oshibana, remember? When we were looking for Mira and the others."

Lucy nodded and shot him a half-hearted smile. "It was different this time."

"Which part?"

"My meditation. I couldn't get control of it and I-" she stopped herself, still uncertain of what she had seen.

"Lucy?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. It was so strange."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Lucy tried to sit up which forced Natsu to vacate his spot at her side.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I need to go for a walk," she replied absentmindedly.

"At this time of night? Lucy, you need to get some sleep."

"I can't right now. I need to think. Don't wait up for me."

With that she grabbed her coat and left the room. Natsu waited for a moment before venturing back across the hallway to his own room. Happy greeted him with a hushing sound and herded him right back out the door.

"Hey! What gives?" Natsu demanded.

"Wendy and Carla finally fell asleep. You can sleep in their room."

"What about Lucy? She'll hit me." Natsu frowned and rubbed his head in dreaded anticipation.

The Exceed scowled. "You should stay with Lucy. If something happens again you'll need to deal with it anyway. It's not fair to ask them to sit around and wait to call for help when you're better equipped to deal with whatever's going on in the first place."

Natsu nodded reluctantly. Happy was right. Until they figured out what was going on with Lucy, Natsu was the best choice to watch out for her.

The two bid one another goodnight for the second time that evening. Happy retreated back to his protective station at Carla's side while Natsu retreated back into the empty room next door. Heedless to Lucy's parting words, Natsu settled in on the bed to wait up for her to return.

* * *

Lucy found herself in the back gardens of the lodge on a small stone bench surrounded by three of her spirits. She had called on Loke first and let him fuss over her well-being for a short time. He was soon followed by Capricorn and Grandfather Crux before Lucy would explain anything.

She told them about her first dream back in Magnolia and the storm that interrupted it and the flood of images she had accessed this night.

"You mentioned that I was in your first dream?" Loke smiled flirtatiously as though the admission of his appearance in her dreams was a symbol of her affection for him.

She ignored this and nodded. "The nine of my Zodiac keys were there surrounding a white wooden box."

"Were there any special markings on the box?" Loke asked, indifferent to her reaction. "Anything you can remember?"

"I think I saw Aquarius' sign on the box in the first dream. I didn't notice it the second time. The images came and went too quickly."

Capricorn tapped his chin thoughtfully. "You said tonight's episode was triggered by the meditation techniques we have been working on?"

Lucy nodded again. "It felt like I was accessing lost memories but I didn't see anything I recognized. Everything was new."

Capricorn turned to Crux who seemed deep in thought or asleep. It was difficult to tell. "What do you make of this, my friend?"

Crux was silent for a long while which gave Loke more time to fuss over Lucy's shoulder. To her dismay, Capricorn joined him to administer his own thoughts and attentions to her person. Lucy could not have been more grateful when Crux sputtered and coughed to announce his acquisition of relevant information.

"What did you find?" Lucy urged, slapping Loke's hands away from the dressings on her shoulder.

Crux coughed again before taking a deep breath. "You have been given a gift of knowledge, Miss Lucy."

"What does that mean?" Capricorn gave a gruff sigh at the vague answer.

Crux blinked twice before responding. "Many Celestial Spirits are able to be summoned via their own singular key that acts as their portal of sorts between our worlds. You know this."

"Yes, of course," Lucy spoke quickly.

"You chose to break Aquarius' key in order to summon the Celestial Spirit King," Crux stated matter-of-factly.

"If she hadn't the world would have perished," Loke spoke passionately in her defense. "We all know this. Get to the point, damnit."

Lucy placed a gentle hand on Loke's arm. "I'm not offended. He speaks the truth so let him speak. He'll make his point."

Reluctantly, Loke backed down and took a seat at Lucy's side.

Crux blinked, "Our Celestial keys are not attached to our life force. Merely our accessibility to this realm. If our key is broken, we do not die. What you do not understand is that our keys are reforged and released back into the mortal realm."

"Released back," Lucy whispered. "You mean-?"

Crux nodded. "Aquarius' key has been reforged. You keep the pieces of her last key close to you, correct?"

Lucy pulled the leather bound pendant from beneath her shirt. "I kept everything I could find."

"Her willingness to sacrifice herself for you and your devotion to the bond you shared with her has created a… sixth sense, if you will. Your trust in one another was what allowed you to summon the King and it is also what will lead you to her again."

"What does this have to do with her visions?" Loke barked impatiently. He was glad his friends would be reunited but the bizarre dreams that messed with her magic had him concerned.

"It's all connected, lion cub," Crux did not raise his voice but his irritation with Loke's behavior was clear. "Her visions are trying to give her clues to finding the new key. It is calling to her through her subconscious and the meditations allowed the messages to come out a bit unexpectedly. Her bond with Aquarius was built through their united magic so the visions will come through her magic as well."

"There were no Celestial keys in my visions though." Lucy wanted to believe him but she had to be sure.

Crux nodded and graced her with a rare smile. "Our keys do not just fall to Earth, Miss Lucy. They are a gift from our realm to yours. What is the human custom of receiving gifts?"

"Presents," Lucy answered and realization dawned on her. "The key is in the box. I'm so blind. It seems so obvious."

Capricorn nodded, "Indeed. Even I feel a bit foolish for not putting it together."

Loke was less perturbed. "A Celestial key has not been shattered in many an era. So long ago that there was no reason for us to remember such details."

Lucy thought on the details of her vision once more. "There is one more thing."

Her spirits stopped to look at her again. Crux spoke first. "What is it?"

"I saw a woman in my vision tonight. Around my age with pale green hair. She had pages of notes on the box and books too. It was a different box but it looked like she was also looking for Aquarius' key."

Lucy watched Capricorn stiffen and adjust his glasses.

"Cap?" Loke had noticed as well. "What is it?"

"A hunch," her mentor replied. "I'll speak no further of it until I look into some things so do not worry about it."

"Easier said than done," Lucy grumbled.

"The important thing for you to do now, Miss Lucy, is to focus on the clues you are given and to pinpoint the location of the key before anyone else can get to it." Crux took a deep breath and bowed his head. "And with that my time is up. Call on me again for whatever you need."

A loud snore followed his words and a loud pop echoed as Crux disappeared into the Celestial Realm.

"Wow," was all Lucy could say.

"Don't fight these dreams, Lucy," Loke warned. "You might hurt yourself."

"Or someone else," Lucy added quietly, thinking of Wendy.

"Unlikely, but always possible with uncontained magic," Capricorn advised. "Warn your friends that what happened tonight may happen again until you are reconnected with Aquarius. Tell them not to interfere."

Lucy nodded mutely but thought of the likelihood of Natsu listening to _that_. She smiled weakly as Capricorn and Loke enveloped her in a hug.

"We will look for more information on our end, too." Capricorn promised. "You are not alone in this."

"What about bringing the guild back?" she asked quietly. "All of our hard work… I don't want to leave the others."

 _I don't want to lose them again_ , she thought to herself.

"Do you know where your visions are leading you?" Capricorn asked gently.

"No."

"Then where would you go?" Loke offered wisely. "Until you have more information, I don't see why you would change anything."

Capricorn nodded in agreement. "Your guild needs you too. I have a feeling the Fates have destined your path back to Aquarius. Just be yourself and the two of you will come together again."

"Thank you. Both of you." Lucy pulled her spirits in for another hug. Tears of relief mingled with those of gratitude and threatened to fall heavily from her eyes.

"Go get some rest now, Princess," Loke said with a wink. "Until next time."

Lucy waited until their gates had closed and darkness settled in around her. She toyed with the broken key on its leather strap and thought hard about all she had learned.

 _I get to see Aquarius again_ , she thought, hope coursing through her like a firestorm.

She sat in the moonlit garden until her legs began to ache from the cold stone bench beneath her. She stood with a groan and made her way back inside.

Heavy snoring greeted her when she opened the door to her room. Natsu was sprawled across the mattress, limbs hanging off the edges, breathing heavily in a contented slumber.

Lucy shook her head with a warm smile. She felt a strong fondness for the pink-haired dragon slayer that instantly overlooked much of his antics. Seeing him passed out here in the dead of night where he had clearly been waiting for her to return made her feel that same tickling in her stomach that had been persistently growing over the last few weeks.

With much effort, Lucy shifted Natsu's sleeping form into a more natural position with his head on one pillow and feet on the bed instead of the floor. After she had made enough room for herself, she climbed in and let the familiarity of his snores and radiating heat lull her into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Lucy woke to two dark onyx eyes staring at her with a deep intensity. Natsu was hovering with a concerned expression but developed a playful smile as she blinked the sleep from her vision.

"What the hell, Natsu?" she growled.

"Great! You're awake now!" he grinned toothily.

"Why are you staring at me while I sleep?" Lucy pulled the blankets to her chin as she sat up as though to shield herself from his gaze.

Natsu shrugged. "You looked happy but you were crying. After last night, I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Lucy felt the dampness on her cheeks and chuckled. "I've really been making you worry about me lately, haven't I?"

Natsu responded with a nod, his eyes downcast.

"I'm sorry." Lucy placed her hand on his cheek and he met her eyes. Seeing the fresh tears developing there, he pulled her into a hug.

"I know you can handle anything, Lucy," he muttered. "I just worry more when I don't know what's going on."

Lucy's grip tightened on him briefly before she drew back and frowned.

"What's wrong?"

Lucy sighed heavily and moved into a more comfortable seated position. "What happened last night… It will happen again. More than once or twice, I imagine."

"What do you mean? Are you okay?"

"Natsu, I'm fine. Really," she placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. Whether to comfort him or herself she wasn't quite clear. "The Celestial Realm gave me another mission."

Natsu waited for her to continue.

"I have to go find Aquarius' key." Lucy tried to explain it simply but the confusion on Natsu's face told her it would not be so easy.

"You lost one of your Zodiac keys? Did someone steal it?" Natsu watched as Lucy pulled the necklace hidden down her shirt into the morning light. The pain in her eyes was evident and he was slowly learning the cause.

Gold flashed before his eyes as Lucy palmed the broken shard in her hands between them.

"What happened?" Natsu whispered, disbelieving.

"I shattered it to save everyone."

All Natsu could do was stare. Lucy's eyes flickered up to his and back down to the broken key. Aquarius' symbol stood out boldly against her pale skin.

"Horologium saved me from whatever captured everyone in the cube. The nine… _demons_ … they were offering a promotion to anyone who took me out. I was overwhelmed. Loke and Virgo were gone, my magic was gone and Aquarius was only just holding them back. She told me how my only hope to save you was to summon the Celestial King."

Lucy felt the tears break free and choked back a sob when Natsu wiped them gently away with the pad of his thumb. She took a shaky breath before continuing.

"She told me that summoning the King was my only option left or you… everyone would have died. The only way to summon him is to sacrifice a Zodiac key where mage and spirit share immeasurable trust. Aquarius told me to break hers. She wouldn't die but I would lose her and never see her again. I had to choose. You'd think it would have been an easy choice to make but I don't think I have ever made a harder one."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Natsu had given up wiping away her tears and merely held her face cupped in his hands. He realized that Lucy had not told anyone what really transpired during her stand off with Tartaros.

"I couldn't," she hiccuped. "You were so upset about Igneel, everyone else was grieving too, then you were just…"

"I was gone," he finished sadly. Lucy nodded into his hands. Natsu pressed his forehead to hers and sighed. "I was selfish to leave before we could really talk but I'm glad you told me now. I'm so sorry you went through this alone."

Lucy shrugged and fiddled with the key remnant again.

Another question popped into Natsu's head. "What does all of this have to do with your magic freak out last night?"

Lucy was not sure how much she should tell him. _How can I admit that I have to leave myself once these clues are pieced together? Will he try to stop me?_

"Lucy?" Natsu urged. He knew there was more she was not saying.

"I've been seeing things in my dreams, well, in my mind," she started slowly. She noticed the way Natsu was waiting patiently for her to speak but let his simple gestures and looks portray the support he was giving her. She decided he deserved the full truth.

"Crux says that Aquarius' key has been reforged and gifted back to our realm somewhere in the world. I don't know where or when it will show up, but it will. My connection to Aquarius grants me… visions of a sort. Clues that might lead me to her. My magic was responding to the images. They're coming in pieces but once I know where to go, I have to find her before anyone else can."

Silence fell as the sun rose higher to shine into their bedroom window. Light fell onto their hands where Natsu played lightly with Lucy's fingers. Her words hung heavily over them in the quiet.

"Do you have any idea where she'll turn up?"

Lucy shook her head, "I'm pretty sure it's not in Fiore though."

Natsu nodded slowly before breaking into a massive grin, "I guess we're headed out of town then, huh?"

It was Lucy's turn to be confused. "What?"

"You didn't think I'd let you go on a treasure hunt without me, did you? We're a team until the end."

"Natsu…"

"Where you go, I go, Lucy," Natsu promised with a squeeze of his hands and another gentle bump of their foreheads. Standing up, he pulled Lucy to her feet. "Now come on! We have to finish our current mission before we can go on another one!"

Lucy laughed wholeheartedly. _How could I ever think he wouldn't believe in me? He really is the best guy a girl could know._

With bright smiles and a warm embrace, they left the room in high spirits and a determination to make the most of their day.

* * *

 ** **A/N #1: (The apologetic one)****

 **A few weeks ago, I mentioned to a few of my readers that I was going to be moving "across the state". I live in California and "across the state" meant moving from Northern California back to Southern California; a 9 hour drive with an angry cat in the back seat. This also meant that my time was invested in packing up all of my belongings and put it into an expensive moving truck, selling my condo, and trying really hard not to cry over leaving my friends or kill my cat when he got sick all over my car during the drive. This meant that I have been unable to devote my energy to my story for a few weeks. I have been busy.**

 **I do not regret my move or my choice to devote my time to it, but I do miss hearing from you all and I want to get back to my more frequent updates. I am sorry for the unannounced drop-off but I am still here and still invested in telling you this tale. So, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and we'll see you again soon!**

 **A/N #2: (The general one)**

 **Holy cow the responses I got on that last chapter were amazing! Over 700 views in a single day.**

 **To my guest reviewers: Thank you for your kind words and responses to my previous chapter. Even though I cannot respond to you personally, it means the world to me that you reviewed. -xoxo**

 **06/2017 - A/N: I have updated grammar and small details. -xoxo**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

After their talk, Lucy and Natsu joined their other traveling companions for breakfast where Lucy spent most of the time apologizing for terrifying Wendy and Carla. She gave them a shortened explanation of what had happened but Wendy was just pleased that Lucy was not in trouble or hurt.

Natsu kept close to Lucy's side for the majority of that day and the rest of their trip. He silently monitored her magic use and tried to wear her out so much that by the end of each day she would fall into a hard, dreamless sleep.

Happy took Natsu's attentions as an excuse to pester Lucy between his own attempts to pursue and woo the white Exceed. This stopped quickly after he had been forced to spend a few hours hogtied and thrown into a large sack with a gag filling his mouth. Not even Natsu blamed her by that point and the temporary silence was accepted gratefully by everyone.

Lucy realized that with two new mouths to feed, their funds were going to be tighter than ever unless they could pick up another job or two. Wendy and Carla pooled a generous portion of their own savings to add to the group's room and food costs but they all knew it would not last forever.

Keeping that in mind, the group opted to spend most of their nights camping, only stopping in towns to refill their supplies when needed. If the surrounding terrain was too rough or damp for tents and sleeping mats, as it was on two nights, they found lodging that could hold all five of them in one room.

Their last night on the road brought them to the outskirts of Era. The gates into the city had been locked for the night so they retreated to the treeline behind them to set up camp and build a small fire to keep warm. They finished off the weak rabbit stew that had also served as their lunch that afternoon and settled in to wait for morning.

The night was relatively uneventful until close to dawn when a patrol of Rune Knights passed near their camp. Natsu and Wendy woke instantly, drawing Lucy and the Exceeds out of sleep shortly after. Natsu motioned for everyone to stay quiet and indicated that he would listen to the news the Rune Knights thought no one was around to hear.

"Do ya know what the Council is goin' ta do about it?" A tall, burly man with a heavy accent spoke to his far more slender companion.

 _Brute and Brittle_ , Natsu decided.

Brittle shifted his heavy gear and shared a grimace with his bulky counterpart. Their white cloaks fluttered behind them as they walked slowly along their path. Natsu began to follow them as they moved away from their hidden campsite.

"If people keep disappearing, the council is going to have to make a formal statement," Brittle offered. "That's what they should do anyway."

"At leas' fifteen people 'ave gone missin' last I 'eard. Why 'aven't they done somethin' already?" they larger man looked annoyed.

Brittle sighed and smacked a low hanging branch with the standard issue staff he carried proudly. "The Council is still new, still rebuilding, and Fiore is recovering from everything that has happened over the last year or so. Almost every available hand is out searching for traces of these people but rousing the public's attention to the matter will only slow down their searches."

"Maybe they're hopin' ta get lucky an' clean it all up before the public ca'ches wind of it," Brute kicked a rock out of his way, unaware of how close he had been to nailing Natsu in the head. "Seems stupid not ta have the people lookin' out, too. Or even a guild."

"I heard they asked Sabertooth to look into it, but even they're not having any luck."

Brute eyed his companion skeptically. "An' where'd ya 'ear that? I don't 'ear things like that."

"They were rumors mostly, but I've got an old buddy who joined the Council last year. Massive asshole but doesn't shit about stuff. He mentioned it."

Brute laughed as his companion dropped his professional behavior for a moment and dipped into a more natural speaking cadence. "Sure. Sure."

Natsu let the pair continue their patrol without him, eager to return to his friends. He was worried about people going missing but he figured Levy would tell Lucy everything she knew about it later.

Lucy was of the same mind when he told them about the conversation he had followed through the forest. Carla was wary and did not want to get involved. Lucy wanted to know more while Natsu felt an inner pressure to fight someone. He tapered the impulse down as the sun rose and the city gates creaked, opening to the new day.

"Let's go find Levy," Lucy insisted as they packed up their campsite.

They were greeted at the gates by a friendly group of guards who were exhilarated in getting to meeting the renowned Fairy Tail mages. They crooned over "the adorable Sky Maiden!" and gaped in awe over "the Salamander and the Star Princess". Lucy rolled her eyes at that one, refusing to admit to the guards how close their nickname was to the one many of her own spirits referred to her by.

 _I'll have to share that with Loke later_ , she thought with a laugh.

What struck them as odd, however, was the wariness the guards regarded Happy and Carla with. To them, the guards inclined their heads respectfully but said little else. Confused, but no longer under buoyant scrutiny, the mages made their way through the large glistening metal gates and into the great city of Era.

Despite the utter destruction of the Magic Council and the mountain it resided on during Tartaros' first string of attacks, the city of Era was bustling and lively.

"This is probably the best place to get any magical equipment you are looking for. If you're looking for anything," Lucy mentioned as they passed a booth laden with lacrima-vision orbs. "Cheapest prices and the best quality since most of it was created here in the city. There are no delivery, shipment, or import fees stacked onto anything they make."

"Cool," Wendy responded, glancing around wide-eyed.

To their surprise, a mountain loomed above them as they neared the center of the city.

"I thought it was destroyed?" Lucy murmured.

Wendy shook her head. "It was, but the Council decided to rebuild. When they asked Jura and the other ten Wizard Saints to join together as the new Council, Jura used his Earth magic to mould a more… blast resistant mountain."

"Pfft…" Natsu scoffed. "I bet I could knock it down."

Lucy pinched his ear roughly, making Natsu howl with surprise. "Don't even think about it, Natsu. You're still on very thin ice as it is after your stunt in Crocus."

"I'm not on ice," he grumbled, swiping at Lucy's vice grip on his ear. "I haven't seen Gray or Lyon around anywhere, have you?"

"That's not my point, Natsu," Lucy hissed, but silently appreciated the play on her words. "No destroying anything unless we are asked to, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah." Natsu crossed his arms across his chest but gave Lucy a wide, mischievous grin. Lucy rolled her eyes and released his ear.

The hike up the rebuilt mountain took the better part of the morning. It was not only tall but the path was a gentle hatchback that tripled the distance they had to travel. When they reached the top they were all grateful for the wide picnic table resting alone at the edge of the trail. They sat down to catch their breath and gape at the extraordinary view.

Wendy took long, steady breaths beside Lucy, slowly licking her lips between each inhale. Lucy looked at her peculiarly.

"What are you doing, Wendy?" she asked.

"The air is so clean up here," Wendy explained. "It has an odd flavor but it makes me feel great."

"Her magic," Carla explained simply as a reminder. The white Exceed had shifted back into her humanoid form and was laying back to soak up the sun.

Lucy nodded and pulled a small bag of nuts and dried fruit from her bag along with her water canteen.

"Anybody want a snack?" She regretted her words immediately as two hungry sets of eyes focused in on her. Before she could blink, Happy swiped the bag from her hand and dove into the treat, leaving Lucy with only a meager handful.

"Thanks, Lucy!" said Natsu as he took the bag from Happy.

"Just make sure to share with everyone, okay?" she said pointedly. The contents of her snack bag were diminishing quickly.

"It's alright, Lucy. Carla and I have our own." Wendy pulled a bright red apple from her own bag. Using her magic to produce a blade of air, she cut the apple in two and handed one of the halves to Carla.

Lucy smiled and relaxed. She took a deep breath and thought for a moment that she could detect the faint difference in the air that Wendy had spoken of.

"I wonder what's making the air so much cleaner up here," she mused aloud.

"We have magical filters in place to prevent any foreign particles from getting in," came a bright, woody voice from behind them. "It makes a big difference during flu season."

Lucy spun to look behind herself, vaguely aware of the others doing the same. She smiled when she recognized the tall bushy haired man approaching their table.

"Warrod!" she shouted, standing to greet one of the original founders of Fairy Tail.

"Hello again, Miss Heartfilia," he nodded his head and she noticed that he carried a small sapling in his hands.

"Hey old man!" Natsu greeted along with Happy's "Aye!" Wendy and Carla curtseyed with soft hellos of their own. It had been a while since any of them had seen the Wizard Saint Warrod Sequen.

Warrod chuckled and stepped up to the table. "I usually bring my new sapling out here around lunchtime so she can get some sun. Just my luck that I run into you as well. What brings you young folk to our crotchety tower on the hill?"

"We wanted to submit our application to reform the guild," Lucy pulled the paperwork from her bag. "We were hoping Levy McGarden, a fellow comrade of ours, would be available to review it before we turned it in."

"Nonsense! Nonsense! I'll get it through." Warrod took the papers from Lucy and tucked them in between the branches of his hair.

"Oh… thank you!" she should have expected the support of a founding member, even if his presentation was a bit odd. "That will help a lot!"

"Of course, no matter… Let me take you inside. The guards are a bit stuffy after the attack last year. Don't let me have any fun. They keep chopping down my trees."

"How rude of them," said Wendy.

"How was I supposed to know the lobby was the wrong place for a cyprus? I have trees growing through the middle my home."

"Oh…" Wendy looked at the chatty man oddly.

Lucy and Natsu suppressed a shared laugh. Warrod was definitely strange but his quirks spoke volumes to the true nature of Fairy Tail and they loved it.

"Are you officially on the Council, too?" Carla asked. "We knew the Wizard Saints were called but I was not sure if that extended to the four Kings of Ishgar."

Warrod nodded, leaves shaking loose from his head. "Until a more formal council can be elected, we are it. Suckers. HA!"

"Does that mean Gramps is here?" Natsu interjected hopefully, surprising Lucy. She had forgotten their guildmaster's title as a Wizard Saint.

"No," Warrod said sadly. "Makarov did not respond to the summons. He sent a letter telling the council to- well perhaps I shouldn't say… There is a lot of bad blood between the old council and our beloved guild, isn't there?"

Natsu thought of the stacks of apology letters Makarov had chided him for over the years and the ridiculous requests the Council always seemed to have set aside just for them. Requests from the Council were always mandatory and the guild never seemed to get anything but grief for their services.

"Anyway, we are here!" Warrod exclaimed.

The council building was magnificent. The walls were made from a bright white marble that shone in the afternoon sun. It rose above them by at least five stories and was crowned with a floating globe. At its highest peak sat a long line of windows that allowed a complete panoramic view of Fiore.

"We sit all the way at the tip-top," Warrod shared, pointing towards the globe. "Utterly preposterous seeing as we're all old as shit and climbing those stairs is a real pain. At least it's pretty to look at."

Warrod walked them through the front doors and into a massive lobby where a single girl sat at a large half moon desk.

"Kiki!" Warrod called. Lucy saw the woman grimace but she looked up at them with a pleasant smile.

"Good afternoon, Councilman Warrod," she greeted politely.

"Kiki, my dear, please assist my friends. They are here to meet with a comrade." With that he turned and walked off, pausing only to send a wink at the bewildered group.

After he departed, Lucy released a breath of relief. "He is always an interesting man to meet with."

Everyone hummed and nodded in agreement. Bursting with curiosity, Wendy, Carla, and Happy wandered through the room, admiring the long line of guild banners that adorned the white stone walls before coming to a stop next to the first window.

The woman, Kiki, coughed quietly and shuffled some files on her desk. "How can the Council assist you today?"

Lucy placed her hands on the desk and smiled. "We are here to see Levy McGarden, please. Does she still work here?"

"I have not heard otherwise so as far as I am aware, yes, she does. Do you have an appointment?" Kiki waved her hand and a screen of information manifested magically in front of her.

"You're using Archive!" Lucy exclaimed, recognizing the highly organized form of information gathering magic.

"That's the magic that Pegasus guy uses, right?" Natsu chimed in. "Hikubi or whatever?"

"Hibiki," Lucy corrected. "But good memory. He was the first Archive user I ever met."

"You know my brother?" Kiki took a more appraising look at the mages before her.

"I didn't know Hibiki had a sister,' Natsu said by way of an answer.

"We don't get to see the Blue Pegasus guild much these days," Lucy explained to the slightly affronted girl before them. "Especially after our seven year time gap, I think the last time we really got to meet with the Trimens was after the Games last year."

Kiki pressed a few buttons in her Archive and smiled. "Ah, Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia. Yes, Hibiki has mentioned you over the years. He was quite inspired by your abilities."

"How did you do that?" Natsu gasped, trying to get a clear view of her screen.

Kiki rolled her eyes. "I have an overabundant wealth of information at my fingertips. I am also linked into the Council Archive of Information which boosts the range of data I can research and interact with. Using the information you have provided through your attempts at casual conversation, it was no issue figuring out who you are."

"Levy must love you," Lucy giggled.

"Miss McGarden and I have had very little interaction at work, Miss Heartfilia, so I doubt love has anything to do with her unknown levels of admiration for my abilities. She is considerably more intelligent than many of her peers however and I hear she is very successful with her work. I'm sure we could carry on a simple conversation." Kiki's voice did not change much as she spoke and Lucy was beginning to find her quite awkward to talk to.

"Well, she would be fascinated with your magic," Lucy concluded. "Can you let her know we are here?"

Kiki nodded once and pressed a few more buttons on her screen. The words "STATUS: FIELD SERVICE" flashed across the screen, causing Lucy's heart to sink. In the next instant, Lucy watched as the words were wiped out and large red letters took their place.

-M.I.A.-

"What does that mean?" Natsu asked. "Why did it change?"

Lucy knew but did not want to jump to conclusions. Instead she grabbed Natsu's hand and held on tightly. He was still confused but recognized her need for reassurance and squeezed back.

"One moment, please." Kiki picked up one of the new slender models of communication lacrima that Warren had developed to make a call.

 _He must have sold his patent_ , she thought and was stricken by a sharp feeling of guilt. They had not checked in with the guild since they left Magnolia. She silently vowed to resolve the oversight as soon as their current situation was rectified.

 _I hope they're not worried_ , she thought.

Kiki huffed when her call was not answered.

"Please tell us what's going on," Lucy pressed but the receptionist ignored her, contemplating another call.

"I really don't want to call him," she muttered reluctantly, brows pinched.

"Who?" Natsu pestered. "Where's Levy?"

Kiki shot Natsu an irritated stare before pressing to call her next contact.

" _WHAT?_ " came a grating voice.

"Yes, sir? This is Kiki from the front desk," Kiki's voice as tense.

" _I got that. What do you need?_ "

 _What an asshole_ , thought Lucy. _I hope we don't have to deal with him_.

"There are two mages here looking for Miss McGarden, sir. You asked to be notified and no one else is answering-."

" _SEND THOSE ASSHOLES TO THIS OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!_ " came the response before the call disconnected.

Kiki shut off her own device with an aggravated sigh. She reached over to one end of her desk and produced a map of the fifth floor. Grabbing a highlighter, she began marking a path for them to follow.

"Please follow the stairwell to your left and head up to the fifth floor. Take the first right and the second left. He'll be in this office here. Thank you."

Dismissing them with a flick of her wrist, the terse woman returned to her seat and began logging their visit into her Archive.

Natsu and Lucy shared a look before rejoining Wendy, Happy, and Carla where they waited at the window.

"Why don't you guys stay here?" Lucy suggested. "We have to meet with someone else about Levy and he does not sound very pleasant."

"We'll be fine, Lucy," Carla offered but Natsu interjected.

"There's no point in forcing you three to deal with this prick," he explained. "I don't need another reason to kick his ass if he goes off on you too."

"We'll be back soon," Lucy insisted.

Wendy nodded reluctantly. "I'll head back outside then. I want another taste of the air while I can get it."

"That's a great idea, Wendy," Carla agreed.

"Yeah. Natsu might bring this place down if we stay inside," Happy teased. "We'll be safer out there."

Natsu scowled at his furry blue friend and turned away, dragging Lucy with him by their still joined hands. Lucy quickened her pace to match his and tried to disentangle her hand from his grip.

"Don't," Natsu muttered and Lucy's hand froze. "It's keeping me grounded. Relaxes me."

Lucy nodded and turned her head away so he would not notice the sudden flush of her cheeks. "Alright."

They found the stairs easily and hiked the five stories at a steady pace. Lucy held the map with her free hand and, when they reached the right floor, pointed out the direction they needed to go.

Natsu could tell they were going the right way when the sound of shouting and the occasional roar met his ears. It was not until a familiar scent met his nose that he recognized the person making all of the noise.

"Looks like bolts-for-brains is here after all," he said to Lucy.

"Huh?" came her distracted reply.

"Who else would make such a spectacular fuss about getting visitors who ask for Levy? The guy's an idiot."

Lucy stared at him, confused, but as they took their last turn, the sounds of a very angry man met her ears too. She rolled her eyes and said, "Of course it is."

"Yup."

"I SWEAR IF THOSE TWO DON'T HAVE A GOOD FUCKING EXPLANATION I AM GOING TO TEAR THEIR THROATS OUT AND SHOVE IT UP THEIR ASSHOLES."

There was a loud crash that made Lucy's steps falter briefly. Even Natsu considered waiting until the wave of testosterone fueled rage had run its course.

"Come on now," came another, calmer voice clearly attempting to reason with the raging man. "Calm down-."

"NO! I AIN'T GONNA CALM DOWN. SHE SHOULD NOT HAVE GONE ON THAT FUCKING MISSION BY HERSELF."

"She wasn't alone -"

"AS GOOD AS! THOSE IMBECILES CAN'T PROTECT THEMSELVES IN AN EASY FIGHT. WHY WAS SHE EVEN SENT OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE? SHE AIN'T A FUCKING FIELD AGENT!"

"Gajeel." Lucy's firm, no-nonsense tone broke into the man's baleful rant. She and Natsu had made it to their destination to find the iron dragon slayer in the midst of destroying what looked to have once been a very tidy office. Across from him, in full battle mode, stood Pantherlily who wore a patient but equally distraught look on his face.

Gajeel settled almost instantly as his eyes met Lucy's.

"Bunny," he whispered and collapsed to his knees. The fight in him was gone.

"Hello Lucy, Natsu," Pantherlily greeted.

Lucy did not let her gaze leave Gajeel's but she nodded her head to let the Exceed know she had heard him. She let go of Natsu's hand and stepped into the room. She maneuvered around broken glass and furniture until she came to rest on her knees before Gajeel's sunken frame.

"What happened to Levy, Gajeel?" she spoke quietly, as though the iron dragon slayer was a flighty deer.

Gajeel clenched his fists. "Shrimp's missing."

"I got that. How?"

His pierced brows furrowed and a low growl made its way out of his throat. "Those two idiots came by while I was out on a recon mission to recover an escaped prisoner. They asked her to go on a quick job with them. 'For old time's sake', they said."

"Idiots?" Lucy questioned.

"Jet and Droy," Pantherlily supplied.

Gajeel growled again at the mention of those names. "She should have waited until I got back. With the kidnappings happening… I can't protect her if I ain't there."

Lucy placed her hands over Gajeel's fists. "How long has she been gone?"

"Five days. Longer than the job should have taken at its max," said Pantherlily. "Gajeel just got back yesterday."

"She didn't check in? Unless it was an undercover job, Levy's usually really good about letting someone at home know where she is." Lucy was getting anxious now too.

Pantherlily shook his head. "Not a word since they made camp their first night. She reported to me and that was it."

Lucy turned her full attention back to the black haired man before her. "We heard guards on patrol this morning talking about the kidnappings you mentioned. What is going on there? Why are so many going missing?"

Gajeel frowned in thought. "We don't know much. Children and young women mostly, taken from anywhere at any time of day. No connections between them. About thirty have gone missing at this point."

"Any clues as to who might be responsible?"

Gajeel shook his head. "The Council's thinking human trafficking but the major rings in Fiore were cleared out over a decade ago. The smaller ones can't fly under the radar if they take so many so it's unlikely to be any lingering rings here. They are considering the possibility that there might be a foreign influence in charge if that's what it is."

"No leads?"

"Nothing concrete enough to get anywhere with it."

"Done yelling at your friends?"

Gajeel blinked in surprise at her sudden change in topic, then nodded sheepishly. He looked over at Pantherlily and gave him a small smile. "Sorry, Lily."

Pantherlily shrugged and clasped the man on the back with a heavy paw. He grinned when Gajeel grunted in discomfort. "I'm worried about her too, Gajeel."

Lucy stood and retreated back to Natsu's side as Gajeel picked himself up off the floor. He readjusted the white emblazoned cloak across his shoulders and took a firm stance.

"Hey, you almost look like a legit council member, iron head." Natsu could not help but take a crack at his fellow slayer.

"Hey! I'll have you know I am an official council member, ash head," Gajeel preened, tugging at his cloak for effect.

"They must have lost their minds," Natsu barbed.

"You wanna go?" Gajeel bristled, teeth bared.

"Boys!" Lucy set a glare on them and they backed off immediately, retreating to either side of her. She stepped forward to embrace Pantherlily. "It's great to see you again, Lily. I've missed you."

Pantherlily shrunk down to his smaller form and hugged her back. "I'm sorry your arrival did not receive a better reception, Lucy, but I am glad to see you."

"Always the polite one of the bunch," Lucy smiled, flashing another threatening look at the other two who pretended to not be glaring daggers at one another behind her back.

Lucy set Pantherlily on the ground and turned to face everyone full on. "Alright. What are we going to do?"

"Find Levy."

Lucy nodded. "Why hasn't the Council sent someone out to look for her yet?"

Gajeel's expression turned livid. "They said that they couldn't afford it. Not enough manpower to spend. Everyone is out looking for the other kidnapped people."

"And you? Will they let you go?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Doesn't matter if they do. I'm going whether they'll let me or not."

"I figured as much," Lucy smiled. "Ok! Let's get our stuff together and move out!"

"Huh?" Gajeel looked between Lucy and Natsu who had turned towards the door.

"We're coming too!" Natsu exclaimed gleefully.

"I'm not sure the Council will allow two unaffiliated mages go on a formal search detail without proper procedure," Pantherlily commented.

"Working here is turning you into a sour puss," Natsu waved off the Exceed's objections. "If the Council won't find her, why shouldn't her family?"

"You want her to come home, don't you?" Lucy asked.

"Of course I do! The Council has just had it out for all of us for the crap Fairy Tail has pulled over the years. I don't want them to-."

"Then why don't you stay here and manage them?" Gajeel suggested. "We need to go, _Captain_. We don't know what is happening to the missing people. Shrimp might not have a lot of time left."

Pantherlily sighed. "You're right. I can do more good here. I know the three of you can handle it."

"Six of us," Lucy corrected. "Wendy, Carla, and Happy are waiting downstairs."

"Let's get going," Gajeel pushed his way passed the debris littered across the floor and stalked out. Not wanting to get lost on their way out, Lucy and Natsu hurried after him with a quick wave to Pantherlily.

They found Wendy sitting back outside on the table they had rested on when they first arrived. Happy and Carla were racing one another through the air and Warrod had joined the young Sky Mage, still holding his sapling.

"Ah! Good, you found what you were looking for!" Warrod exclaimed with a smile as they approached the table.

"Why didn't you tell us Levy was missing?" Lucy questioned bluntly.

"Because then you wouldn't have gotten this fool to stop destroying my office," Warrod gestured to Gajeel who looked away with a "Tch!"

"Gajeel!" Wendy cried and leapt lightly from the table, running over to hug the gruff iron dragon slayer.

"Hey kid," Gajeel said fondly, patting the girl gently on the head. "You've gotten taller."

"You think so?" Wendy smiled up at him.

"Definitely."

Warrod stepped forward and handed Natsu a piece of paper. The fire dragon slayer did not look at it but stared at the ancient mage. "What is this?"

"A job request," Warrod flashed a wide smile, attempting to feign innocence. "I want to hire your team to search and rescue a missing council member who was last seen about a half of a day north of here. Her name is Levy McGarden."

"I don't understand. We're not a legal guild yet," Lucy started but Warrod waved her off.

"We are currently looking into the disappearances of at least thirty other individuals and that number is growing daily. Miss McGarden is a highly valued member of the Council and we wish to see her safe return. Our resources are stretched thin but I think the Council can contract out a little side work for you when it's for such a great cause."

"Thank you so much!" Lucy exclaimed, taking the flyer from Natsu.

"Tch," Gajeel glared at the piece of paper in Lucy's hand. "One million jewel? That's the monthly salary for at least five Rune Knights!"

"There are five of them, aren't there?" Warrod had a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I thought the Council didn't have the resources for a search party," he growled bitterly.

"We don't have the manpower," Warrod stressed. "We can hire out, of course, and now we have the perfect team for the job!"

Gajeel understood what Warrod was doing. He could see the blatant favoritism he poured on them and like water on flowers, his old guildmates were soaking up the attention.

"Don't be so dower, Mister Redfox," Warrod joked gently. "They'll help you find her."

"I'll find her," Gajeel bit back the string of curses he wanted to add. "Let's just go."

"Oh, Miss Heartfilia?" Warrod called as they walked towards the edge of the trail leading down the mountain. "A final word, if you please."

Lucy trotted back to Warrod's side where he bent over to whisper in her ear.

"I saw the… supplemental request you snuck into your application. Are you sure you want to submit that?"

Lucy nodded. "Separately, but yes. I spent months collecting the references from all over the country and studying all of the bylaws that I could. I believe it's the right choice."

Warrod nodded thoughtfully. "Very well. I will make the case and let you know what comes of it."

"Thank you, sir," Lucy said, giving him a polite bow.

"Lucy! Are you ready?" Natsu called out.

"Yeah!" she called back. To Warrod she said, "Thank you for all your help."

The man shrugged and wandered off with his potted plant. Lucy laughed at the sight and turned to rejoin her team.

"What was that about?" Natsu questioned as she caught up to the group.

"Just giving him some clarification on our guild's reinstatement application," she fibbed slightly. Only she, Mirajane, and Cana knew the full details of their application and it would not do to plant false hope in anyone else prematurely.

Natsu accepted her answer with a shrug and hoisted his pack into a more comfortable position. "I'm starving. Let's get some lunch."

"All you think about is food," Lucy teased.

"He's not the only one," Happy commented, pointing to Wendy and Gajeel's matching looks of hunger.

"We're going to go broke," Lucy lamented, thinking of their money pouch.

"We still have to map out our plan from here, Lucy," Wendy said softly, grinding the toe of her shoe into the dirt. "We might as well do it over a warm meal."

"We can plan at my place," Gajeel offered. "There's a cheap food cart nearby that gives me good deals."

Lucy smiled gratefully. "That will be perfect. Thanks Gajeel!"

"Yeah, whatever," came his response.

"Lead the way," Carla pushed the iron dragon slayer forward and their steadily growing group made its way down the mountain.

* * *

 **A/N: Good day fair readers. This chapter has arrived with ELEVEN freshly edited chapters preceding it. I was embarrassed by the number of grammatical errors and inconsistencies that I found and I couldn't help myself. Hopefully you'll have a few moments to read back through it and not cringe at any mistakes because they should be gone! Thank you for your continued support.**

 **FYI - Gajeel's mission is a real thing. If you have not read any of the spin-off mangas, I suggest you do. They are fabulous. -xoxo**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

Their time in Gajeel's apartment was well spent. Lucy and Wendy took over the bath for themselves and used the washing machine to clean the team's gear. Natsu and Gajeel went to grab dinner at the street side food cart while Happy and Carla talked on the front porch.

As she waited for their clothes to dry, Lucy pulled out the team's communication lacrima and called the guild. After a few rings, a beautiful woman with dark purple hair picked up the other end of the line.

"Hi Lucy," the woman greeted with a cheery smile.

"Hey Kinana. Nice to see you. When did you get back?"

"Just a few days ago. Laki called over Warren's lacrima channel to let me know what was going on but it took me awhile to get back. Had some trouble on the road."

"Nothing too bad, I hope?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle. I've been learning magic with E- some really nice people so it was settled quickly." Kinana blushed in the lacrima screen.

"Good for you! Hey, can I talk to Cana or Mira?"

"Sure!" Kinana disappeared from Lucy's view. There was some shuffling and a few shouts before three faces appeared, squishing together to fit in the tiny screen.

"Hi Lucy!" Cana called, her voice slurred. "You're missing all the fun!"

"Lucy!" Mirajane exclaimed. Poor Kinana was pushed between them looking very uncomfortable.

"Hey," Lucy greeted, laughing. Wendy joined her on Gajeel's plush leather couch but kept out of view. _Wise choice._

"How's the hunt?" Cana asked. "We haven't heard from you in over a week! Did you get lost?"

"Not exactly," Lucy blushed. "There was a fight near Hargeon and I got hurt. It took a few days to recover. Then it took us nearly a week to get to Era but we're here now with Wendy over at Gajeel's place."

"So you're on schedule?" Mirajane asked over Cana's screams about wanting to see 'the cutest sky dragon slayer ever'.

"Sort of," Lucy frowned. "We ran into a problem."

The girls on the other end of the line went silent. Three pairs of eyes stared at Lucy until Mirajane chose to break the silence.

"What's going on, Lucy?"

"Levy's missing." Lucy paused as the other girls gasped. "She went on a job with Jet and Droy and hasn't come back yet. We're going to follow Levy's trail and hopefully find them. Other people, women and children mostly, have been going missing from the surrounding areas as well. We're not sure if Levy's disappearance is related… I'm seriously hoping it's not… but we need to figure out what happened to her before we can move on."

Kinana excused herself from the group and shuffled out of view, allowing Mirajane and Cana to press in closer on the screen.

"How can we help?" asked Cana, her tone decidedly more sober.

"Stand by for now. Not a lot to do unless we know more. Wendy and Gajeel are coming North with us to search. We'll check in as soon as we find something."

The girls nodded and hung up after a quick goodbye. Lucy took a deep breath and pulled Wendy closer for some small comfort. They sat quietly and waited for the others to return.

* * *

By the break of dawn the next morning, Lucy was already sweating heavily from exertion. They had been chasing Gajeel for the past six hours after the man had taken off impatiently from his own apartment.

Pantherlily had sent over all Council records regarding Levy's mission around midnight, including her maps, mission details, and a very organized plan of action. Lucy had wanted to read through the mission details before they got started but Gajeel was out the door five minutes later, shouting nonsense about leaving them all behind. He grabbed the map with Levy's first campsite circled and the confirmation log from her check-in before hurrying out the front door.

They left Era through the Northern gate and turned onto the path that continued North through the highest mountain range towards Crocus. The area was known for its spontaneous rock slides and carnivorous cave dwellers but the marked path itself was usually safe enough for an easy crossing.

The iron dragon slayer set a grueling pace that even had Natsu struggling to match. By the time dawn started to peek over the eastern ridge of the pass, Wendy and Lucy were starting to fall behind. They were all in desperate need of water and a quick rest.

"Gajeel, we need to stop," Lucy insisted again. Her chest burned with every breath and her muscles were screaming for a break.

"We keep going," came his sharp response.

"Yo, iron skull, they can't keep this up much longer." Natsu grabbed at Gajeel's shoulder but was quickly thrown off.

"Please, Gajeel," came Wendy's soft voice, laced heavily with exhaustion. "We'll be no use to Levy or anyone if we don't rest along the way."

Gajeel rounded on the youngest dragon slayer with a furious scowl. His red eyes stared her down menacingly until she shrank back with fear.

"If you can't keep up, you shouldn't have come," he barked. "If you're gonna slow me down I won't hesitate to leave you behind. I ain't gonna wait around for you to figure out how important this is so just go home! All of you!"

The next moment had Gajeel eating a mouthful of dirt. Natsu had tackled him to the ground and slammed his fists into Gajeel's back. He twisted Gajeel's arms in a tight wrestling hold before the other slayer could start fighting back. Lucy and Carla had raced to Wendy's side, the young teen crying freely.

Once Natsu pinned the iron dragon slayer to the ground, Lucy extracted herself from consoling Wendy and marched over to Gajeel's prone form.

"HOW DARE YOU!" she screamed. Natsu watched her with rapt fascination as she began to lay into the defenseless slayer beneath him. "You are NOT the only one who cares about Levy, you asshole! We have been chasing you for SIX HOURS. No breaks, no water, no food… and why? Because we care about her too! You need to get that iron rod extracted from your dick and pay attention! We are a team and you're not acting like one. So get YOUR shit together, Gajeel, or we will leave YOU behind!"

Her words were emphasized as Carla came up and swiped her claws across Gajeel's face.

"How could you take your insecurities out on Wendy, you brute!" she hissed. "You should be ashamed of yourself, making her cry."

Carla and Lucy retreated back to Wendy's side where the dark blue haired girl was steadily wiping tears from her puffy cheeks. Natsu gave Gajeel a final shove into the dirt and let the man go. He and Happy joined the girls and started passing around a few water canteens.

Once they felt refreshed and rehydrated enough to continue, the team began gathering their meager supplies and prepared to head out. No one noticed when Gajeel picked himself up off the ground but it was hard to miss when his lumbering form cast a long shadow over Wendy's small frame.

"Sorry," he grunted. He passed a hand through his hair to scratch at the base of his head. He chose his next words carefully. "They're right. I'm worried and I took it out on you. I ain't very good at the whole team thing still but I'll try. So… sorry."

Wendy smiled and passed him her water canteen. "Stay hydrated. I can't heal that properly out here."

Gajeel nodded and accepted her gesture gratefully. Nothing more was said about it and the group resumed their route, travelling at a much more reasonable pace.

They did not stop again until they came to a fork in the road. One path continued up into the mountains while the other looked like it led back down into a lower range of hills. Gajeel knelt down beside a small pile of stones carefully arranged around a thin iron pole.

"We're on the right path," he said more to himself than anyone else. "I taught her how to set up these trail markers so she could find her way back through unfamiliar territory."

"I'm glad she's using them," Lucy commented. "I'm assuming you can track her the other way with these markers?"

Gajeel nodded. He ran a finger over the cluster of rocks before standing and walking down the second path. "They went this way."

They found three more markers, each at the head of a new diverging road, before they entered a hidden valley covered with tall pine trees. The path ended where it met the pine forest but a small game trail drove its way through the underbrush in two directions. It wasn't until Lucy found the next cluster of rocks tucked behind a fern that they knew to head West. It was slower going through the dense foliage but their path did not veer off unexpectedly.

The sun was high overhead by the time they reached Team Shadow Gear's campsite. They knew they were getting close and that something was very wrong when the trees showed signs of fire damage and large word-shaped boulders blocked off a large chunk of their path.

The campsite itself was a mess. Tents and camping gear were strewn about in all directions. A pile of food lay discarded and rotting at the far end of camp. Scuffed dirt showed the tracks of a fierce battle that had taken place. It was the torn and burnt pieces of clothing that worried them the most.

Lucy stepped through into the campsite, careful to avoid disrupting any evidence they might need to track whoever had done this to their friends. She bent over and picked up a dirt covered lump of cloth. Brushing it off, she recognized Jet's once favored tall fur-trimmed hat. The hat was riddled with holes and the white fur was burnt out in many places.

"Shit," Natsu said over her shoulder. "They really were here."

A high pitched keening sound came from the other end of the campsite. Gajeel had picked up another torn piece of cloth, this one orange in color, and a broken light pen. He clutched the singed cloth close to his chest, his eyes closed tight.

"Gajeel?" Wendy asked only to have Carla yank her back when the keening whine turned into an outraged roar.

Iron scales rippled out across Gajeel's skin and his eyes burned with fury as he looked around the campsite again. His breathing was strained and the iron slayer took quick shallow breaths to attempt to compensate for the lack of oxygen.

"We need to help him," Lucy exclaimed and ran forward before Natsu could stop her. Gajeel's arm formed into an iron pole that he drove straight down into the ground beneath him. He roared again. Lucy reached out to comfort her friend.

"Gajeel, this doesn't mean anything. We need to track whoever -" Gajeel spun and swept his arm out. The pole was long enough that it struck a heavy blow directly into Lucy's abdomen, throwing her onto her back.

Natsu felt his insides break apart at the sight of Lucy being struck by their teammate. His mind could not keep up with the rage that exploded from him as he rushed forward to strike Gajeel down with a fire infused attack. Without any specific magical attack, the fire dragon slayer lit his body aflame and began pounding his fists into Gajeel's scaled body. The iron dragon slayer blocked what attacks he could and returned the gesture with heavy hits of his own.

A well placed strike of Gajeel's fist to Natsu's chest had the fire dragon slayer on his back. He jumped back upright and prepared to rush Gajeel again when a black heeled foot struck the iron dragon slayer across the face with enough force to knock him down too. Natsu's focus shifted to the gold infused Celestial Mage that stood over Gajeel, her chest heaving with her own anger.

Lucy stood there equipped in her Star Dress: Leo Form and her fists placed firmly against her hips.

"That HURT!" she shouted at the prone slayer. Gajeel's scales began to recede and Lucy placed another kick to his side. "I don't know how many times we are going to have to do this today but if fighting is the only way to get through to you, I will kick your ass ten ways until Sunday. You will never walk again."

Natsu felt his own rage diminish and a new, possessive feeling coursed through his veins with excitement as he watched her dominate their out of control comrade. He liked this side of Lucy. He liked it a lot.

Gajeel let his head fall to the dirt and ran a hand down his face. "I don't want to fight you, Bunny."

"Looks like you want to fight someone," she seethed. "Why not me? Come on. Get up and try me."

"I want to destroy whoever took Levy!" he shouted angrily.

"Then you need to calm the fuck down, Gajeel! Stop taking your fucking issues out on us and get your head on straight! You going crazy will only ruin what evidence we can still find since the trail is getting cold."

Gajeel let his arms fall to his sides, iron scales fully retracted, and sighed in defeat. "Sorry."

"Don't let it happen again." Lucy released her Star Dress and turned away.

She looked over to Natsu, concerned about the hits he had taken, and noticed that he was staring at her. His nostrils flared and his eyes were dilated. She felt herself flush at the intensity of his gaze. It only lasted for a moment before he shook his head and smiled encouragingly at her.

Confused, but nonetheless please with herself, Lucy smiled back and let Wendy tend to Natsu's wounds as she looked around for clues. She noticed a clump of broken branches on the West side of the campsite. She stepped closer to the edge of the small clearing and stopped when she found heavy footprints leading further into the forest.

"Do we know what's further on in this direction?" she called to the others. Wendy shook her head and Happy pulled out the map from their file of Levy's mission notes.

"It looks like there's nothing much except an abandoned watchtower another half a day's hike from here." Happy handed the map to Natsu who nodded in confirmation. "Carla and I should fly up and see if we can see anything from here."

"Please do." Lucy thanked the Exceeds and they took off, two small blurs of white and blue quickly fading into the distance. She turned to the others and gestured towards the broken branches. "You ready to follow some strange footprints into the unknown?"

Gajeel grunted his affirmation. Wendy nodded with quiet determination. Natsu grinned at his best friend and shouted, "I'm all fired up!" Lucy laughed and led her team deeper into the woods.

* * *

They resumed the quick pace they had adopted early that morning in order to cut down the amount of time it would take for them to follow the tracks left in the damp ground. Gajeel estimated there were about fifty armored men traveling in the group they followed, maybe more.

Lucy was determined to keep up the pace but the anxiety she felt worrying about her friend was starting to get overwhelming. Her heart pounded in her chest and made her breathing erratic. It wasn't until Natsu's hand slid silently into hers that she was able to refocus and put all of her energy for worrying into their hike instead. She smiled gratefully at Natsu and mouthed a 'thank you' to him. He squeezed her fingers in response and shrugged.

 _I guess he grounds me, too_ , she thought. _Funny_.

They came upon another campsite after an hour of hiking through the pine trees and heavy underbrush. The large party they followed had cleared out an area to make room for their encampment. Natsu inspected their firepit and determined that they had stayed there three days prior and most likely only for one night.

"They were probably at the tail end of their day when they came across Levy, Jet, and Droy," Lucy reasoned. "There are enough of them that they would need a full day to recoup, so we can assume they aren't as far away as we feared."

Happy and Carla returned after another hour, pale faced and panting. Carla rested in Wendy's arms while Happy perched on Natsu's head and informed them of their findings.

"There's an army of about forty mercenaries cooped up at the fortress. There are about twenty other women and children accompanying them that we could see. They were all camped outside so we couldn't tell if there were more inside. They didn't look like they were moving anytime soon but I think Team Shadow Gear is there." Happy settled into Natsu's hair and closed his eyes to rest.

"How do you know they are there?" Gajeel pressed.

Happy shrugged sleepily. "There were piles of word shaped iron everywhere."

"How much further?"

"About an hour flight from here, so three or four hours on foot if you hurry," Carla chimed in.

"What do you think they're doing here?" Wendy asked.

"Causing unwanted problems," grumbled Gajeel as he tried to pick his way through a particularly thorny bush.

"A number that size though?" Natsu questioned. "Mercenaries are usually solo workers or only sign up on small group jobs. I've rarely heard of so many working together in one place. It's practically an army."

"You thinkin' it's a high paying job?" Gajeel lifted Wendy over a large tree that blocked their path as he spoke. "It'd have to be if they're all individually contracted."

"But why take someone who works for the Council and two unaffiliated mages?" Lucy added her question to the mix, accepting Natsu's help to get over the fallen tree.

It was Wendy's answer that surprised them. "If the Council is right about all these people disappearing and it's the work of illegal trafficking, doesn't it make sense to prey on three unsuspecting mages sleeping in the woods instead of a trying to infiltrate a fortified town?"

"I guess…" Lucy did not like the sound of Levy being bought and sold on a foreign market. Judging by the barely restrained growl coming from Gajeel, he did not like it much either.

"We can ask the pricks when we catch up to them. We'll make these guys pay for messing with Fairy Tail," Natsu vowed. Lucy shrieked when the bush she was about to cross over burst into flame.

"Natsu!"

"What? I'm fired up to kick some kidnapper asses." Natsu playfully tossed a small ball of fire by Lucy's feet. She screamed again and leapt over another bush to escape the heat.

"Save it for the bad guys, Natsu! Not me!"

Their trek through the forest was quiet except for their continued banter. Wendy was busy smothering any fires that Natsu set when chasing Lucy while Gajeel and Carla talked simple battle strategies in case they met anything unexpected. They themselves grew quiet after four hours of hard walking when the sounds of a busy camp guided them towards their destination. The group came to the edge of a small clearing and got their first look at the abandoned watchtower.

Chipped and crumbling stone walls broke through decades of overgrowth and dirt, surrounding a dark, uninhabitable tower. Time had not preserved the formidable architecture but enough remained to provide a decent base for the encampment stationed within its borders.

The men surrounding the tents and fires beyond the ruinous walls were clearly mercenaries. No one was equipped equally, armor was mismatched and nothing between them was shared save for a single crest each had engraved somewhere on their person. A white crescent moon was stamped onto a field of midnight blue and each person wore one on their armor, wrists, arms, or tied to their weapons.

As the band of Fairy Tail mages crept closer to the camp, evidence of a magic infused battle was obvious. Solid Script boulders and heaps if iron were strewn about the field. Natsu pointed out track marks most likely made from Jet's speed magic and Wendy recognized large unnatural mounds of fist-shaped plants that were most likely made by Droy's Plant magic.

Gajeel tensed and prepared to charge in, his right arm already beginning to transform into a broad iron sword. Lucy placed a hand on his arm to restrain him.

"Wait. You can't charge in there," she warned.

"Why not?" he spat. "Shrimp's in there. I ain't gonna let her suffer anymore."

"There are women and children in that camp. We can't let them get hurt." Lucy pointed back towards the people moving about. True to Happy and Carla's scouting observations, there was a spattering of at least twenty women and children working around the camp. Each one was serving, cleaning, or entertaining the mercenaries. Lucy watched as one man pull a fair haired woman into his lap and attach his mouth greedily to her throat.

Gajeel looked at the same scene and scoffed. "They made their choice."

"Look again," Lucy pressed, grabbing his chin and pointing towards a jade haired beauty who had moved a little closer to their hiding spot.

The bottom of woman's dress was torn and a flash of gold sparkled from around her ankles. Thin shackles of gold were bound to the woman's ankles. Similar bands were affixed to her wrists as well. Long chains tied the wrists together with just enough room to allow her to work without hindrance.

"They are captives too," Wendy breathed out at Lucy's side.

"They don't have a choice." Natsu's voice was deep and angry.

As though he had heard their words, the man gnawing and groping at the whimpering, nameless blonde woman's body grabbed the chains at her wrists and dragged her to her feet. Ignoring her cries of protest, the man backhanded the girl across the face and dragged her into a nearby tent.

"We have to do something now," Gajeel insisted. "I won't hurt the innocents."

Lucy nodded and drew two of her keys. "Let's bring these fuckers some pain."

"I'll stay here and assist," Wendy decided as the Exceeds took to the air.

Lucy looked towards Natsu but the fire dragon slayer was gone. In the next instant, Gajeel has slipped into his shadow and was darting away to surprise the mercenaries from behind.

At her side, Wendy began to cast her first Enchantment. "Power of the stout arms that tears heaven... ARMS!"

Lucy felt her strength increase and smiled at the younger girl. "Let's do this."

Lucy ran into the fray. Hoisting her first key above her head, she called, "OPEN! GATE OF THE RAM! ARIES!"

A pink haired girl with curled horns appeared at Lucy's side. Her spirit of the Zodiac Ram, Aries, bowed to her immediately. "I'm sorry I'm late."

"You're right on time, Aries," Lucy reassured her gentle spirit. "I need your help."

"What can I do?" Aries stood tall with a determined look at the situation facing them.

"I need you to gather the women and children with your wool and keep them safe," Lucy explained. "Calm them down and protect them from our attacks. Will you do that for me, please?"

Aries nodded. "I'll do my best!"

Lucy knew her spirit would do even better than that but chose to smile and move on to her next task. As she prepared to call her next spirit, she saw that Natsu and Gajeel had already engaged in combat with the soldiers attempting to get to their feet.

Lucy lifted her second key above her head and called, "OPEN! GATE OF THE GREAT CRAB! CANCER!"

Her tall, dark-skinned spirit with six extra legs and cornrows in hair appeared at her side, brandishing two twin shears. His shaded glasses did not hide the flash of trickery held in his gaze.

"How can I be of service, ebi?" he asked politely.

"Lend me your power, Cancer. STAR DRESS: CANCER FORM!"

Re-dressed in the short quipao styled dress and brandishing two twin blades of her own, Lucy shared a mischievous grin with her spirit. "We have some bad guys to take care of, Cancer. Want to help me out?"

Cancer opened and closed his scissors with a sharp 'snip snip' and nodded. "Their actions are despicable, ebi."

"I'm glad you agree. Wendy, can you cast the enchantment that makes us faster?"

"Sure Lucy," Wendy responded and began her second spell. "Fast winds that run the heavens... VERNIER!"

Lucy's body felt super charged. "Thanks Wendy. If you get a chance, help Aries with the other captives."

Lucy and Cancer sprinted into the chaos and started slashing at the men scrambling for their weapons and helms. They carved their way through quickly until Lucy saw the mercenary from before reemerging from the tent he had dragged the unwilling woman into. She saw him attempting to draw up and retie his pants as he assessed the battle raging around him. Fury overtook her. She changed course mid stride and charged at the vile man.

No words came forth as she screamed in his face, slashing out with her swords. The man dodged the first few blows but tripped over the corner of his tent. Lucy struck out at him with her boot and struck him in the jaw. She heard a sickening snap of bone and the man's jaw hung loose and useless on his face. She brought her swords to his throat and pressed her foot to his chest to keep him prone.

"You will never touch an unwilling woman again," she hissed in his face. He flinched and made an angry noise in his throat but could not form words. Lucy brought the swords closer together at his throat, their sharp edges drawing blood.

"I will string you up and castrate you slowly until you beg for death," she muttered into his ear. His whimpers pleased her rage. "Pray that I am merciful and do not hand you over to those who will treat you as delicately you have treated her."

Lucy slammed the hilt of her blade against the man's temple and knocked him out cold. In a moment of madness, she dipped her finger into the blood at his neck and swiped a streak of it beneath each eye. She glared at the men who had circled her during their short confrontation and held out her swords.

"I hope each of you heed my warning as well or I will teach you the same lesson."

Some of the men shouted out in anger and attacked. Lucy grinned at Cancer, still stationed beside her, and they prepared their defense.

Natsu heard Lucy's angry screams from across the field. He tossed grown men left and right before he cleared enough space to see where she was. He watched as her foot connected with the man's face and nodded to himself, convinced that she would be just fine. The crazed look in her eye concerned him but the mercenaries surrounding him took priority.

He sensed Gajeel fighting close by as he drove his fists into another man's head. Most of the men they were fighting were not mages but the overwhelming number of them made it difficult to keep the advantage.

There were a few mages but their skills were limited. They attempted to deter Aries and Wendy from moving their captives away but Wendy threw her own strong attacks back at them. Carla and Happy flew over the women and children, tossing rocks at their pursuers and making funny faces at the crying children.

A fire mage attempted to counter Natsu's own flames which made the dragon slayer laugh. The mercenary's face as Natsu consumed his magical fire only made him laugh harder.

The fight lasted for twenty-three minutes. As the last mercenary emerged from the tower and fell unconscious at Lucy's feet, silence fell across the camp. The women and children were relaxing in Aries' wool bomb and barely registered the chaos around them.

"Search the tents for anyone chained up or wounded," she ordered and headed back to the first tent she had seen the blonde girl dragged into. She pushed the canvas flap aside and peered into the darkness within.

"Hello?" she called. She could barely make out a small shape curled into a ball on the ground. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Help… me…" came a faint whisper. Lucy moved forward and frowned when the scent of blood and sex filled her nose.

Lucy rushed to the girl's side and reached out. Closer now, she saw the fair haired girl lying naked on the dirty floor. Lucy's hand hovered over the girl's bare skin, unsure where the woman's wounds were located.

"We have a healer." Lucy coaxed the girl to uncurl slowly from her fetal position. "That man won't hurt you anymore."

"Is he dead?" the girl whispered. "I hope he's dead."

Lucy did not answer. The truth would not help her and it did no good to lie so she grabbed a blanket from a nearby cot and laid it gently over the girl's body.

"Do you want me to bring our healer here or would you like to leave the tent?" she asked instead.

"I… I don't think I can walk."

Lucy's heart broke. "Ok. You stay right here and I'll be right back with Wendy. Our healer's name is Wendy and she will take amazing care of you."

The girl choked back a sob as Lucy made to exit the tent. Her soft voice followed Lucy out, "Thank you."

Lucy ushered Wendy over to the tent. Once the sky dragon slayer assessed the damage, she asked Lucy to leave and help the others so she could heal the girl's wound in private. Some wounds were better healed without an audience.

Lucy reemerged from the tent to see Gajeel pummeling a fallen mercenary to get information.

"WHERE IS SHE?" he screamed at the unconscious man. "BLUE HAIR. TINY MAGE. WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!"

Natsu had his face in his palms, unsure of how to deal with the sleep deprived slayer's temper. Lucy put her hand on Natsu's back and shrugged when he looked at her for help.

"Excuse me?" came a meek voice at Lucy's elbow.

Lucy turned to look at a child no older than eight pulling on the sleeves of her dress. "Can I help you, sweetie?"

"Are you guys looking for the three mages that came in a few days ago? The ones that made the mess out here?" she gestured to the Solid Script boulders around them. "I heard that big man say blue hair. She's the only lady I've seen with blue hair since we left home."

"Do you know where she is?" Natsu crouched down to the girl's eye level and gave her an encouraging smile.

The girl shook her head. "Not exactly. They made the men mad when they woke up and started making magic things happen. It's bad to fight. That's why they give us the bracelets."

She held out her ankle for them to see the gold bands locked around her ankle. Natsu reached a hand out to touch the band but a woman broke out of the crowd and rushed forward, screaming.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT! KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!"

"What?" Natsu looked on in confusion, hands raised above his head. "What did I do?"

The woman gathered the little girl in her arms and held her daughter tight. Tears filled her eyes and she glared at the two mages.

"You can't touch the chains unless you hold the key," another woman explained. She held out her own ankle and they saw red scars stretching up and down her leg around the band. "They are cursed to kill anyone who tries to remove them except our key-holders. If you try to remove them by force, you'll only kill yourself and possibly the one wearing it."

"That's awful," Lucy cried, staring down at the young girl crying in her mother's arms. "I'm so sorry."

"You didn't know," the mother relented and dropped her angry gaze. "Your friends were taken inside after they attacked the guards. We haven't seen them since."

"Go," the scarred woman insisted. "We will tie them up and find our keys while you get your friends."

Lucy nodded gratefully and pulled Natsu to his feet. "Our healer is in the tent over there. Let her tend to your wounds when she's done."

"Thank you, miss."

"Miss Lucy," Aries appeared at Lucy's side with Cancer. "Do you need anything else?"

"Thank you for your help. You both were incredible. Get a good rest now, ok?" Lucy smiled at her spirits and watched them disappear into their own realm. She looked back at Natsu who was frowning at her. Before she could ask why, he licked his fingers and wiped the streaks of blood from her cheeks.

"Come on, Gajeel," Natsu called. "Levy's inside."

Gajeel broke out of his trance over the subdued mercenaries and followed them into the crumbling watchtower.

* * *

 **They found a staircase inside the tower leading up to the destroyed rampart. There was no way up and nowhere to look beyond that so they searched the ground floor again.**

Natsu felt a hollowness beneath his feet when he crossed the rotting wooden floors so he dropped to his hands and knees to look closer. His fingers brushed a small purchase in the floor. He dug into the small rivet and pried the wood up with his nails. Once he had a firm grasp, he pulled up and exposed a trap door with a better preserved staircase leading to a lower level.

"Let's check down here," he called out to the others.

Their steps echoed loudly in the narrow stairwell. Pre-lit torches lined their path and they assumed that the men who had rushed out of the building during their attack had been down here.

The bottom of the stairwell let out into a damp, rotting dungeon. Large mounds of mold grew in corners where a steady stream of water leaked through the deteriorating stone. Empty wrought iron cages lined one wall and most of the doors were opened to empty cells. One door near the end was closed but not locked. They approached it carefully and hesitated before swinging the door inward.

Lucy grasped Natsu's hand instinctively, releasing an audible gasp as the scene registered in her mind. Her book-loving friend and her team were chained and nailed to the walls like criminals. Crucified to the ancient stone behind them with dried blood caked to their faces, they were stripped of their clothing and harsh red welts laced their skin in near perfect lines.

"Fuck." Natsu pulled Lucy closer to his side protectively.

They heard Gajeel's breathing quicken as panic set in. He took frantic puffs of air as though his body was refusing to fill his lungs. Lucy looked over to see his sickly pallor and grieved expression.

"No," he whispered with a pained whine. "No. No. Not again. Levy. No."

Gajeel ran to the blue haired mage and lifted an unsteady hand to cup her cheek. Lucy saw that his body was trembling with anguish that she could barely comprehend.

Natsu understood. He thought back into their muddled history to the day they first heard of Black Steel Gajeel of Phantom Lord and what he had done to their three unsuspecting guild mates, praying on them because of their 'weakness'. He was not blind to the Iron Dragon Slayer's feelings for Levy or to the guilt the man still held for his own actions in their past. Natsu gave Lucy another reassuring squeeze before stepping forward towards Jet.

"Let's get them down," Natsu spoke firmly as he gripped one of the restraints that held their friend in place. "We have to get them down, Gajeel."

Gajeel clenched his fists and nodded once before moving to rip the restraints from Levy's small arms. He held her close against his chest as he reached down to relieve her legs. As the last bar was removed, her collected her limp form in his arms and collapsed to the floor, cradling her gently.

Lucy helped Natsu ease Jet to the ground before turning to work on Droy. Happy and Carla helped keep the large man upright as Lucy and Natsu worked on dislodging his bindings from the wall. As they checked each mage over, the team waited with unease for any sign of life to emerge from their wounded friends.

Jet was the first to stir. He groaned and reached up an unsteady hand to grip his head.

"Jet! You're awake!" Lucy rushed over with a canteen of water. "Drink this, you're probably dehydrated and you've lost a lot of blood."

"Thanks Lucy," he took the canteen and took a long, slow sip. As he swallowed, his eyes widened and looked around at the collection of mages in the room. "What in the - what the fuck is going on?"

"That's what we were hoping you could tell us," Gajeel growled.

Jet scowled, eyeing Gajeel and his close, intimate proximity with his favorite female mage. "Is she okay?"

"Answers," was Gajeel's short reply.

Jet leaned his head back against the wall and took in the room around him. "The last thing I remember was being strung up to a pole and whipped when we tried to escape last night. They must have brought us here when they were done."

"Who are those guys out there?" Lucy inquired.

"Some sort of slavers, I think." Jet tried to take a deep breath and coughed. "They had these chains they were trying to use on us but Levy figured out what they were doing and tried to stop them. They whipped her first and made us watch. Then took turns on us."

"I'll kill them all," Gajeel's voice was deep and grating. Iron scaled began to coat his skin as his anger flared.

"We're not killers, Gajeel," Lucy told him firmly.

"I know that!" he spat. "I'm just pissed. They hurt my - they hurt Levy. That's unforgivable."

"We'll take them to the Council and let them deal with the legal ramifications of attacking a council member," Natsu suggested although his tone left little room for negotiation. "Levy, Jet, and Droy's condition is our priority right now. We need to get them out to Wendy and then back to the guild."

"Back to the guild?" Droy whispered from his resting place. "Is the guild really back together?"

"Droy!" Jet called out weakly, happy to see his friend regain consciousness.

"Hey man," Droy coughed. Natsu lifted his canteen to the large man's lips and tilted in a small sip of water.

"Is he right, Natsu?" Jet asked. "Is Fairy Tail really back?"

"You bet!" Natsu smiled, although Lucy could still that it did not reach his eyes. There was too much stress and strain in its place.

"Thank goodness," Droy whispered, allowing Natsu to feed him another sip of water.

Gajeel got to his feet. He had placed his white coat around Levy's naked form and carried her delicately in his arms.

"Can the two of you walk? We need to get her to a healer." Without waiting for a response, Gajeel left the room and rushed up the staircase to get outside.

"Still a dick," Jet croaked with a laugh.

Droy let out a dry chuckle as well. "Don't know what she sees in him, honestly."

Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Carla helped prop Jet and Droy up to guide them out of the dungeon. When they reached the surface, some of the women were already waiting with blankets to cover their nakedness and more water for them to drink.

A woman from the liberated group of captives approached Gajeel with a set of small golden keys. The iron dragon slayer growled at her and held Levy closer to his chest. He had refused to let go of the small Script Mage once Wendy had finished healing her.

"I have to get the chains off of her or she will never use magic again," the woman explained, pointing to the gold bands they had not noticed around Levy's ankles.

They got the chains off of Levy, Jet, and Droy and piled them to the side so the Council's Research and Development teams could study the new magical items. Good or bad, they needed to understand it in order to work out ways to beat it if they appeared again.

Wendy was worn out from healing but pushed on, much to Carla's displeasure. Lucy stepped away and called Kiki at the Magic Council to ask for assistance in transporting their prisoners. Once that was done the group sat back to wait for assistance. Lucy and Natsu sat down with a group of women away from where others were trying to coax the younger children to sleep.

"We heard rumors of about thirty or more women and children disappearing from all over the local region. Is that you guys?" Lucy asked bluntly.

A green eyed middle-aged woman shook her head. "We all came from the same area. We were captured during a massive raid in our hometown. Some others were here before us, like Lilia, the girl you found in the tent. She's been here the longest but I don't know where she's from."

"They discouraged socializing," a maroon haired teen added.

"Do you have any idea where they were taking you?" Natsu asked.

The girls shook their head but Lucy had an idea. "Which one of the men is their boss? Who was in charge?"

The women pointed to a solitary man double bound to a tree on his own. "He's a dark mage and led the others. He said they were waiting here for the all clear."

Lucy nodded and pulled out one of her Celestial Spirit keys. Natsu gave her a questioning look but she merely winked at him, silently urging him to be patient.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE TWINS! GEMINI!" she called out.

Two miniature spirits with small antennae and sashes across their torsos appeared before them, startling a few of the women. In high, echoing voices the twins asked, "How can we help, Lucy?"

Lucy pointed to the man bound to the tree. "Can you copy him, please? We need some answers."

"Yes! Yes!" the twins floated over to the man who began to struggle against his bindings. With a 'poof' and a cloud of smoke, they transformed into the man who gazed upon himself with fear.

Gemini strutted over to Lucy and the women shrank away from them. His image scared them, even though they understood that the real mercenary leader was still securely bound to the tree.

"He was thinking about the girl he planned to grab tonight from a local farmstead. One he wanted to keep for himself. And about the call he's waiting for. He doesn't want to miss it," Gemini spoke with the man's voice.

"Any clues as to where he was taking the ones here already?"

"East towards Mount Hakobe," Gemini answered.

"SHUT UP!" the man screamed from his tree. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

"We're not in your head. We're an exact copy of everything you have ever been up to the point we copied you," Gemini explained, though Lucy did not see the point. She did not care if the man was upset. They needed answers.

"They are to bring the women to a cave in the mountains. They have something there… he doesn't know what it is, but that's where he gets paid for deliveries… others meet there too." Gemini frowned in confusion and the transformation was broken, the twins separating suddenly. "Looks like he died. Sorry, Lucy."

The twins returned to the Celestial Spirit Realm, much to the group's confusion. They turned their attention to their captive and saw him slumped over in his bindings. Natsu went to check it out and sighed instantly.

"He's dead. Fucking bastard had a poison capsule in his tooth."

Lucy frowned with concern. "Well, we got some really good information. We should get some sleep while we can and head back to Era with the Rune Knights. They'll need to know about this."

Natsu agreed and they bid the others goodnight. They took over one of the tents that was no longer being occupied by the tied up mercenaries and settled in. It was a rough sleep but restful enough for them to get by until the Rune Knights arrived to help.

* * *

In her own commandeered tent where she watched her young charge sleep off a day of healing, Carla sat on a stranger's cot to think seriously about the new mess they seemed to have gotten themselves caught up in.

Without notice, like so many happened before, Carla slipped into a trance and left the conscious world behind.

Visions of elegant dancers, greedy men ogling women on a staged platform, acrobats, performers, musicians… all wore the golden bands they had seen that morning save for the audience. Well groomed men handed other men large sums of cash and keys exchanged hands. Two figures shared an intimate embrace in a luxurious bedchamber though their faces were hidden behind lace curtains. Tears splattered on the floor… or was that blood?

Visions poured in and out without control until they finally faded, leaving Carla gasping on the floor soaked in sweat with more questions than answers.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, lovelies. This was it. The big chapter that leads the rest of the story. It's also the longest chapter to date! What do you think?**

 **I want to send a HUGE thank you to ShanaHollows (Read her stories!) and OtakuPrincess for taking the time to read this chapter before I shared it with you. They helped me flesh out some of the confusing parts and are all around amazing people.**

 **Thank you for your time. -xoxo**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14:

Lucy, Happy, and Natsu emerged from their tent the next morning when the smell of food woke the eternally hungry slayer from his sleep. Lucy split off from the starving duo in favor of checking on their friends and found Gajeel still tucked protectively around the petite mage as she slept.

"How is she?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Wendy says she should wake up soon," he rumbled back, keeping his eyes on the woman in his arms. "Her injuries are mostly healed but she'll need to rest for a while."

"Do you want me to watch her so you can get some breakfast?" she offered quietly.

"I ain't moving until she's awake," he responded sharply, looking at Lucy warily, as though she was going to try to take Levy away from him.

"I wouldn't have to be awake if you weren't making so much noise," a small voice griped from between them.

They looked at Levy in surprise and saw the Solid Script mage's eyes flicker open. She focused immediately on the bulky iron slayer hovering over her small frame. "Hey Gajeel."

"Hey Levy," he smiled softly down at her.

"Mmm… It must be serious if you're using my name." Levy winced as she tried to shift in his grip.

Lucy watched as Gajeel carefully helped Levy readjust into a seated position. The way he moved without asking what Levy wanted but instinctively knew what to do anyway spoke volumes to the Celestial Spirit Mage.

 _How did I miss this last year?_ She thought with silent amusement.

"How did you find me?" Levy asked, weariness still evident in her posture although her eyes were alert.

"Followed your markers, figured the rest out on the way." Gajeel pressed his nose into Levy's hair, oblivious or uncaring of Lucy's observations.

Levy hummed and turned her eyes to Lucy. "Hey Lu. I take it you were a part of the rescue team I really wish I wasn't unlucky enough to need?"

Lucy smiled at her friend and nodded. "We were coming to find you anyway. You just weren't where we expected you to be, that's all."

Levy chuckled and winced again as her movements strained on her bruises and lingering wounds. "Ack! Those fuckers got me good, didn't they?"

"Wendy healed you as much as she could last night. She'll probably want to do more once her magic has a chance to recharge." Lucy's smile fell. "You were in pretty bad shape when we found you."

"I'm glad you got here when you did," Levy sighed. "Things were not going to end well if they ended up taking us."

"Did they give you any clues about where that was going to be?" Lucy pressed gently.

"No questions," Gajeel snapped. "She just woke up and needs to eat something. You can listen to her talk when the Council gets here. Until then, leave her be."

"Oh shush, lug nut," Levy chastised, smacking at his chest with the back of her hand. "You are just as curious as she is so don't you give Lucy any grief."

Gajeel grumbled but still pulled Levy gently to her feet. The petite mage grinned apologetically to Lucy. "He's right though. I am really hungry."

Lucy laughed and shrugged. "I spend most of my time with two bottomless pits for friends. Satisfying hunger first does not phase me anymore."

They joined Natsu, Happy, Jet, and Droy near the center ring of tents where some of the women in the camp were making breakfast for everyone. Their trussed up prisoners had been locked away in the watchtower basement after being watered so they would not cause problems during the night and no one had bothered to check on them yet.

Jet and Droy were overjoyed to see Levy up and about although their own wounds kept them seated at a distance. Lucy grabbed a plate of food after giving the women dishing out servings a warm thank you and joined Natsu on a large bench. Her best friend was halfway into his third helping of food when the Rune Knights finally arrived at the abandoned fortress.

The militia was led by Pantherlily along with another familiar face they had not seen in some time. Mest Gryder marched alongside the stoic Exceed as they escorted a covered wagon moving slowly through the dense brush. Lucy wondered how they got the wagon into the valley in the first place but did not dwell on it as two unmistakable figures stepped out when it rolled to a stop.

Princess Hisui and her ever present White Knight, Arcadios, stood beside the congregation of Rune Knights and Palace Guards where they took in the state of the campsite they had been called to. Pantherlily strode forward to where Levy sat tucked snugly between Droy and Gajeel on a bench and wrapped her in a gentle hug. Mest approached their table with reservation but greeted his Fairy Tail brethren with equal warmth.

"Hey Mest," Natsu welcomed the man. "Or is it still Doranbolt? I can't remember."

"The Council had me drop the pseudonym," Mest laughed. "Mest is my real name so just use that."

"Mouse it is then," Natsu responded, his attention already back on his food.

Lucy rolled her eyes and greeted the Spatial Magic Mage. She excused herself from the table and approached the Princess, eager to speak with her distant friend for the first time since leaving Crocus. As she got closer, a guard stepped into her path and barred her way with his pike.

"O-oh," she stammered. "E-excuse me, I'd like to speak with the Princess, please."

"The Princess is here for business, not fan service," the young guard replied firmly. Lucy cocked an eyebrow and took in his sandy brown hair and light blue eyes.

"I know you!" she blurted out, then blushed at the memory. "You were the guard at the palace when they took Natsu in for questioning."

The guard took a closer look at her and his eyes widened in recognition. Lucy was pleased that he blushed as well but was graced with embarrassment when he decided to vocalize the memory. "You're the mage whose clothes were falling off after the Games when they brought in the fire mage."

"That's me," she muttered bitterly and sent an angry scowl towards Natsu who remained oblivious and completely engrossed in his meal. "I kept my word though. We've been staying out of trouble."

"I wouldn't say that so much," the guard gestured towards the campground. "Or we wouldn't be here."

"Touché." Lucy laughed and held out her hand. "A proper introduction. My name is Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail."

"Geoffrey, no last name that I can remember, Crocus Royal Guard and loyal protector of the Princess Hisui." Geoffrey bowed as he spoke the Princess' name before rising again to meet Lucy's gaze. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Heartfilia."

"Lucy, please," she begged lightheartedly. "So, Geoffrey-with-no-last-name, may I please speak to the Princess? Or will you let her know that I wish to meet with her."

There was no need for the young guard to contemplate his choices as the Princess herself noticed the younger Celestial mage at that same moment.

"Lucy!" the Princess called out and walked over. "Thank goodness you are here. Someone with a brain I can actually talk to."

Arcadios grunted quietly but nodded his head respectfully in Lucy's direction. He kept to Hisui's side and motioned for the young guard to let her pass. The Princess reached Lucy and looped a slender gloved hand into the crook of Lucy's arm.

"What are you doing here, Hisui?" Lucy asked but kept her voice quiet so no one else would hear how casually she addressed the Princess.

"Father and I were attending our quarterly meeting with the Council when your call came in last night. We have been concerned that this issue with the kidnappings is only getting worse. My grandfather spent so much of his life working to eradicate this poison from within Fiore's borders so for it to just come back like this..." Hisui's eyes flashed with anger before she was able to compose herself again. "More of our people are disappearing without notice, Lucy. These women and children here were not among the missing listed and we fear for more like them. How many have been taken that we don't know about?"

Lucy did not have an answer for the Princess. They had come to a stop on the far edge of the camp under a tall pine. Hisui was breathing heavily in her frustration but any onlooker would have found it difficult to tell anything was amiss. Lucy squeezed her hand gently as they shared a worried look.

"We were lucky to have found this place," Lucy admitted. "We have a lead for the Council on where they might be meeting, but-"

"Say no more. If you have information it must be shared with everyone. I have some ideas myself but we must regroup. We'll have to act swiftly if your information can lead us to a solution."

Hisui turned to her vigilant companion. "Arcadios, gather everyone in a tent and set up a link with the Council immediately."

"Yes, m'lady," the Knight replied with a bow. He gestured for the young man, Geoffrey, to take his place at the Princess' side before turning away. He strode briskly towards the guards and mages milling about the camp and called for order.

"Come," Hisui urged, pulling Lucy back towards the crowd. "We have plans to make."

* * *

Natsu found himself being shepherded away from his ongoing personal feast and ushered into the rough makeshift tent erected by the Rune Knights. One of their mages had spelled the tent for secrecy so his keen hearing could not pick up any trace of what was happening until he crossed into the room. Everyone seemed to be talking at once as captains, royalty and the lacrima-projected Councilmen tried to speak at once.

Natsu spotted Lucy in a chair near the Princess and quickly made his way to the empty seat at her side. She gave him a sweet smile as he tucked his hand into her grasp, giving her a reassuring squeeze before settling into his seat.

A singular voice rang out with a firm cough, issuing for immediate order over the din. Silence fell within the tent and the faces of the projected Council focused on a singular speaker in the middle of their group.

An older gentleman with dark hair and a cross-like tattoo emblazoned on his forehead looked out across the gathering with a stern eye.

"Chairman Draculos Hyberion," Hisui whispered for Lucy and Natsu's benefit. "Second ranked seat of the Wizard Saints but leader of the new Council."

Draculos' projection shifted as the man adjusted the bowtie at his neck. They saw the large ring that adorned his middle finger as it flashed across the image when he moved. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"My fellow Council Members, thank you for meeting with us on such short notice. I know this matter affects each of us and all gathered here are concerned for the well-being of the citizens of Fiore." Draculos took a sip out of a shiny gilded chalice and cleared his throat again. "It is concerning that a mercenary group of such a large size has been able to traverse our lands undetected and has successfully removed citizens from their homes without notice. We need any information about this plight so we can destroy it swiftly. What do you know?"

Hisui stood to speak and all attention was directed to her. No one else made a sound.

"Chairman Hyberion," she greeted politely. "I am only a responder to the events that have taken place here but I have spoken with multiple witnesses and I believe there is much we can learn. I'd like to direct your attention to one Lucy Heartfilia of the Mage Guild Fairy Tail and her accounts of what took place yesterday."

"Fairy Tail was disbanded," one of the Council Members interrupted. His lacrima connection was poor so Natsu could not discern their features but he would have sworn it was a woman.

"Hopefully not for too much longer," Hisui commented, directing a pointed stare at the Chairman. It was small, barely a twitch of flesh, but Natsu saw Draculos incline his head slightly in agreement. Natsu felt Lucy take his hand in excitement. She had seen the nod too.

"Very well," Draculos spoke and looked towards Lucy. "Please speak, Miss Heartfilia."

Natsu released Lucy's hand to let her stand up but frowned when one of Hisui's guards stepped forward to pull her chair out for her. Natsu eyed the blue-eyed man with suspicion when the guard's gaze lingered a little longer than Natsu liked.

"Thank you, Geoffrey," he heard her whisper.

 _Who the hell is Geoffrey?_ Natsu thought bitterly. _When did she meet this loser?_

He kicked himself mentally. It was not his choice to decide who Lucy talked to or spent time with. _But then why do I feel so… jealous?_

Jealousy flickered in his chest. He did not like the pulsing aggression that made him want to claw another man's eyes out when all he really did was act like a perfect gentleman. Lucy deserved that kind of attention from others.

 _Why do I care?_ Natsu realized he had been asking himself that question in relation to his feelings for Lucy for a long time now. The only conclusion he could come up with is, _I just do_.

Natsu was jarred out of his thoughts as Lucy moved on from their arrival and fight at the camp to their interrogation of their leader.

"Explain to me how you got this information, Miss Heartfilia," a Councilman named Wolfheim was asking. "A man who carries a poison capsule in this mouth for readied consumption does not willingly give out these kinds of details to people such as yourself."

Lucy frowned and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I am a Celestial Spirit Mage, Councilman. I am in possession of the Zodiac Spirit Gemini who can copy a person at will who has less magic power than I do. This copy is an exact replica of that individual, down to their thoughts and memories, up until the point of replication. While he lived, everything he knew, Gemini knew and those are the details he poisoned himself to keep from us. Anything more was lost after he took his life."

"That is an incredibly useful tool to own, Miss Heartfilia," Wolfheim commented, causing a tick to flicker in Lucy's eye.

"My spirits are not tools, Councilman," she stated calmly. "I ask you to please remember that the Spirits we summon are as real as you or I with the same feelings and free will as any of us."

"Yes, of course," he replied offhandedly. "Still, how can we rely on this information? A cave in Mount Hakobe is hardly specific. Would we be better sending all of our resources to the mountain and risk these kidnappers to escape or do we maintain our vigilance at the borders and wait for them to cross?"

"If I may, Councilmen," Hisui stood again and motioned for Lucy to take her seat. Lucy relaxed when her keys warmed in her palms and her Spirits sent their thanks and support for her conviction to defend them.

"Our position here is clear," the Princess continued. "Between the Capital's forces and Era's, we do not have the manpower to send the required forces we need to inspect the mountains."

"So what do you suggest?" Draculos questioned.

"We shall hire Fairy Tail. Many of their mages have completed jobs across the mountain. They are already familiar with this investigation and are well known for being resourceful and finding things others want to keep hidden."

"Don't we know it," grumbled Wolfheim.

Hisui pretended to not have heard him. "I say we send a small team with the mages already here to head back to Magnolia on the first train and ensure their success. Should their search be fruitful we can then divert a larger regiment to assist with the capture and containment of these enemies."

"Your plan is sound, Your Highness," Draculos replied as Hisui paused. "What team would you suggest we send?"

"Council Member Levy McGarden, for one, sir. She was injured in the line of duty but is one of the smartest mages we have at our disposal and will be an asset to this investigation. Magnolia is also home to a healer who can then assist with her recovery." Lucy and Natsu stared and the Princess in surprise.

"Are you sure?" the Chairman responded. Clearly he had not been expecting this either. "Would it not be better for her to-."

"Hush, Chairman," came Warrod's hurried whisper. "If she goes, _he'll_ go too."

Draculos coughed. "Yes, you're quite right. Miss McGarden is relieved of active duty and assigned to this reconnaissance mission. Mister Redfox will join as well to ensure her safety and that the expedition is completed per Council standards. I'm sure he will have no objections to this."

"Oi!" came a gruff shout from the back. "I have objections. You asked me to join! I ain't a retainer!"

"It was a joke," came another pained whisper from Warrod which resulted in quiet sniggering from the other men in the tent.

"Captain Pantherlily, will you also be joining them?" Hisui asked the Exceed who stood close by their table. "You were also on my suggested team list."

"No, Your Highness," he bowed his head respectfully. "I have unfinished work in Era that must be attended to. I do offer my services as their point of contact and resources for the mission should they need Council support."

"Thank you, Captain."

Natsu stared at Pantherlily in shock and glanced to the back of the room where Gajeel was keeping his eyes averted. Since their meeting in Edolas, it was not like the Exceed and Slayer to be separated for long.

 _Too much has changed_ , he thought bitterly.

"Very well. Anyone else?" the Chairman kept the conversation moving forward.

"No, sir. Any more will require too much time to outfit and gather resources. Those two will do and they are already familiar with the location and the guild. We will escort them back to Era today where they can board the train to Magnolia, gather their guild, and move to scout the mountain. We do not have a timetable on this gathering so speed is our utmost priority until the missing citizens are found." Hisui finished with a definitive nod.

The Council was a flurry of mutters as they conversed about the plan until all came to the conclusion that it was their swiftest plan of action.

"We will have the necessary documentation prepared for your arrival to Era," Draculos confirmed. "Miss Heartfilia, a private word if you please. Everyone else is dismissed."

"Luce?" Natsu looked at her with concern.

 _What does the Council want with Lucy?_ he thought. Everything was happening too quickly for Natsu to find any comfort.

Lucy shrugged, equally confused, which did nothing to dissuade his fears. The tent filtered out but Natsu refused to leave. There was nothing they could say that she would not tell him about later and Chairman Draculos did not seem to even notice that he was still there.

When the tent had emptied, the Chairman spoke again. "Miss Heartfilia, is one… Cana Alberona or Mirajane Strauss present at this time?"

"No, sir. They are still in Magnolia," Lucy responded.

"Hmm… Do you have another guild member present who can act as a second liaison for the purposes of this notice?" Lucy saw that Draculos barely looked at her. He was flipping through something in front of himself that the projection did not show.

"My partner, Natsu Dragneel, is present for the record, Chairman."

Natsu was impressed by how easily Lucy spoke to the head chair of the Magic Council. Her presentation and dictation was elegant and the usual temper behind her tone was gone. It did not sound entirely natural though and he preferred her unpredictable tempest to this stiff copy.

His thoughts refocused when Lucy nudged his side. She knew he was distracted and silently signaled that this was important.

The Chairman took another sip from his chalice. "Very well. Lucy Heartfilia, after much deliberation the Council has come to the unanimous conclusion that as of today the guild known as Fairy Tail has been officially reinstated and will begin receiving Council sanctioned jobs by the end of next week. All holdings and accounts maintained by the guild are accessible by request. You will receive your new ledger from Captain Pantherlily and use it to log the income and expenses of the guild. Reports are to be submitted quarterly for the first year then biannually each year after that. Any questions?"

"No, sir." Lucy was shaking with excitement.

"On the subject of Guild Master. We see the name Makarov Dreyar listed. Are you aware of his current location?"

"No, sir. We were hoping he will have returned to Magnolia by the time we return and take his place as Master again." Lucy stammered, her confidence wavering.

Draculos nodded and made a notation. "We have no idea where he is either, Miss Heartfilia. No one has seen him in over a year. I'm sorry, but you will need to choose an available, active member to take on the responsibilities of Guild Master until Makarov is found. Who will it be?"

Lucy was floored. She had not prepared for this problem. "Let me deliberate with my partner for a moment."

The Chairman nodded his consent and Lucy turned to Natsu. "What do we do?"

Natsu was as lost as she was. They had not included him on any of the planning or the paperwork so he had not known the details that went into it. Then again, he had not really wanted to do paperwork to begin with when there were better things to do than sit in a stuffy office.

"Why don't we put you down as Guild Master?" he offered simply. "At least until Gramps comes back."

"We don't know when he's coming back and I wouldn't get to go on missions with you anymore if I was Master," she replied softly, eyes downcast. "I'm not Master material yet, anyway."

Natsu agreed hastily. He did not want to lose his mission partner for any reason. Even for the control of the entire guild.

"Erza?"

"She's not back either."

"Mira?"

"She didn't want it. We already asked her."

"Macao? He already took over once."

"Our guild kind of ran itself into the ground under his watch. Is there anyone better?"

Their eyes met and they instantly knew who the new Fairy Tail Guild Master would be.

"Laxus Dreyar."

Chairman Draculos stared as both mages spoke to him at the same time. "Makarov's grandson? Very well. Congratulations, Fairy Tail. You are an official, active guild again."

Natsu whooped and lifted Lucy into the air in a tight hug. Lucy cheered with him, laughing as he spun her around in circles.

"One last thing, Miss Heartfilia," Draculos called out.

Natsu stopped his spinning but did not let Lucy down. He turned so she could look at the Chairman and tightened his hold so she would not slip.

"Is this regarding my second request, sir?" Lucy asked, leaving Natsu confused again.

 _I really need to start paying attention to paperwork_ , he thought glumly.

"Yes. Your request for the pardoning of the unaffiliated guild, Crime Sorciere. We are concerned by your desire for the Council to pardon known criminals. Are you aware that the escaped Oracion Seis is among their numbers? I have been informed that they did quite the number on you and your guild in the past so forgive us if the request came as a shock."

Lucy shifted uncomfortably as Natsu's grip got tighter around her middle. She knew she would need to explain this to him when they were done.

"Yes, sir. I knew," she responded carefully.

"Please explain your reasoning for this pardon."

Lucy tapped on Natsu's shoulder and he let her slide down to the floor reluctantly. He kept an arm around her waist as reassurance.

Lucy took a deep breath and smiled up at the Chairman. "Crime Sorciere is a guild that lives by the sole code of redemption. They spend their days fighting against the darkness we don't want to see in Fiore. They clean up the scourge and the poison without reward, without thanks, without homes they can safely call their own. They remain unregistered because of the bylaws preventing light guilds and dark guilds from going to war but they have saved countless lives with their work. We would not have survived the attack on Crocus without them last year. Or the attack from Tartaros. They have been an unparalleled ally and they do it as penance for their past transgressions."

"The dragon attack on Crocus was just a spectacle that got out of control. No one was in any real danger," the angry Councilman, Wolfheim, spoke.

"That is not true, sir. We were there and those were real dragons that escaped out of an unstable portal through time."

"Nonsense," Wolfheim huffed.

"Hush, Councilman," Draculos chided. "We will take your words into consideration, Miss Heartfilia. For now, please see that your next task is your top priority. We are counting on you as Fairy Tail to bring our people home."

Lucy bowed to the lacrima projections as one by one they disconnected their feeds. Warrod Sequen was the last to go. He gave them a parting wink and a cheerful cackle before signing off.

Lucy took a deep breath and turned to Natsu, a large smile on her face.

"Crime Sorciere, huh?" Natsu raised an eyebrow. He expected an answer from her quickly.

Lucy grinned and scratched her head in a fashion that was very similar to his own when he was caught doing something devious.

"It was a surprise for Erza," she explained. "If they are pardoned by the Council, they won't have to hide as much and Erza might be more willing to come home."

 _Very devious._ Natsu appreciated the consideration the girls had put into this and gathered Lucy in another hug. This one had less spinning though it was equally tight.

"You would have made a fine Guild Master, Lucy," he murmured. "Now we're stuck with Laxus."

Lucy laughed and pushed away only enough so she could look Natsu square in the eye. "I'm not giving up my position on our team for anything. You're stuck with me."

Natsu grinned and pressed his forehead to hers gently. "Good, because I'm never going to let you go."

Lucy blushed heavily and pushed out of his arms. She smirked and made a dash for the door. "Haha! You let me go!"

Natsu growled and gave chase, running after his favorite person in the world, delighted by her playful mischievousness.

* * *

They exited the Rune Knights' tent to find Hisui and Levy conversing with some of the captive women while the Rune Knights were pulling the bound mercenaries from their temporary prison in the crumbling watchtower. Lucy was still trying to run from Natsu and dashed to their group to avoid his grasp. Hisui smiled as Lucy approached and gestured to the women they spoke with.

"I will be escorting some of the women to the rehabilitation facility in Crocus that I founded last year," she explained. "The children will have to take residence in an orphanage while we get the word out but they will have a warm place to sleep until their families can come for them."

"A large group of us will return to our village," one woman added.

Lucy saw the woman Wendy had healed in the tent, Lilia, was also among those gathered.

"I don't have a home to return to," she muttered bitterly.

"The rehabilitation center provides housing, meals, and courses to help you readjust to normal life back in your village," Hisui offered but the woman scoffed.

"That sounds even worse. I can't go home. They will see me as tarnished. Unfit to wed and therefore unable to contribute. I'm better off starting over."

"Come to Magnolia with us, then," said Lucy. "Everyone there is starting over already. The entire town had to be rebuilt."

Lilia stared at her, cautious and wary. "Are you sure?"

"Why not? We're headed there anyway so you won't have to travel alone," Natsu added as he stepped up to the group.

"Very well. But you stay away from me. Hands to yourself, understood?" Lilia's eyes flashed dangerously.

Natsu lifted his hands in a defensive motion and took a step back. "My hands will stay firmly at my side unless I'm beating up Gajeel."

"Oi! I heard that!"

Natsu grinned and ran off, leaving the women to continue their conversation without him.

"No one in Fairy Tail will harm you, Lilia," Levy said sweetly. "Our guys are good."

"I thought you were Council," Lilia questioned.

"I work for the Council, but I'm a Fairy through and through. I think our assignment to this case is their way of giving their blessing for us to take our leave."

Lilia nodded. "Very well. I will travel to Magnolia. After that… we will see."

"That's all we ask," Lucy said with a smile.

"Lucy?" a voice at her ear cut in.

Lucy turned to see Pantherlily at her side. "Hey Lily. I'm sad you aren't coming with us."

"I do regret that I cannot return but it is good for Fairy Tail to retain at least one ally on the inside," the Exceed chuckled. "Anyway, Warrod asked me to give you this."

He held out a large leather satchel with the Fairy Tail symbol embossed on the top. Looking inside, she found the guild ledger Draculos had mentioned as well as a hefty packet full of jewels with a letter.

 _Ms Heartfilia,_

 _Congratulations on your successful mission and the resurrection of our beloved guild. I knew my faith was well placed once again. Here is the reward that was promised as well as a small stipend to be added to your guild funds._

 _In the event that Makarov was stubborn and did not train anyone on the proper procedure to run a guild, I have included a guide within the ledger to assist you in navigating the fees and regulations that must be followed for each report._

 _Please contact me if you need any help. Once a Fairy, always a Fairy._

 _All the best,_

 _Warrod S, old codger on the hill_

 _PS - Don't let Gajeel and Levy come back. They are Fairies too and their home is in Magnolia._

Lucy smiled and tucked the letter back into the pouch. Resolving to divvy up the funds when they got home, Lucy repacked the satchel and tucked it into her bag.

"Thank you," she said, turning back to Pantherlily. "I do hope you will come home soon."

"If all goes well, without a doubt," he promised with a light purr and enveloped the Celestial Mage in a hug.

"Shall we get going, then?" Lucy asked, turning back to the others.

Each person nodded, gathering up their things or leaving what they did not need behind, and began their long procession back through the hidden valley and back to Era.

* * *

 **A/N: Special Notice: I will be taking a short break in order to participate in NaLu Week coming up soon (July 1 - 7). I am piggybacking on the extended challenge by ShanaHollows and Quite-a-Riot to complete around 21 one-shots for the week. Keep an eye out if you're interested, otherwise I'll have a new chapter up as soon as I can. -xoxo**

 **I wanted to give a huge shoutout and thank you to my reviewers and all the fans of my story. You make this experience so much better for me.**

 **Another special thank you to OtakuPrincess28 and ShanaHollows for reviewing my work, bouncing ideas around with me, and challenging me to be a better writer. If you haven't gotten a chance to read Shana's Angel of Oops series, I highly recommend it. One of the best NaLu AUs I've read.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15:

The hike back to Era was easier than the hike into the mountains. They had proper guides who knew the roads and the path was trampled down from the Knight's march into the valley. The wagon transported the most heavily injured, including Levy, Jet, and Droy, while everyone else walked. They kept quiet for the most part and took frequent breaks to give the women, children, and wounded time to rest.

At the base of the mountain, a large group of women and children broke off to head back to their hometown, their heads held high and firm in the face of their trauma. Princess Hisui met with them once more to encourage their attendance at her rehabilitation center if they had any troubles re-adjusting back into normal life.

As promised, Hisui and her entourage escorted them to the gates of Era before diverting her own path towards the carriage houses outside the city walls. They would have to hire new wagons to transport the women and children all the way to Crocus so they bid the mages farewell.

Levy and Gajeel walked off with Pantherlily so they could pack up their belongings from their homes for the trip, promising to meet the group at the train station. Wendy, Carla, Jet, and Droy went to locate a good place for dinner while Natsu, Lucy, and Happy made their way towards the train station to secure passage for their large group.

After purchasing their tickets, Lucy called the guild to tell them they were coming home.

"Lucy!" Mirajane exclaimed when she answered. "We were starting to worry. Did you find Levy?"

"Yeah. We did," she said softly. "She's ok. The guild was approved, too."

"Already? That's amazing!" Lucy heard Cana squealing in the background.

"Princess Hisui helped a lot."

"The Princess got involved?" Mirajane's eyes were wide. "Lucy, what in the world are you guys getting up to out there?"

"That's why I'm calling. We're coming home. The Council has a big job for the guild." Lucy rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. "We'll talk about it when we get there, but I'm bringing everyone home."

"Finally," Mirajane breathed a sigh of relief. "Safe travels. We'll see you soon."

Lucy disconnected her lacrima and rejoined Natsu before joining him and Happy on their own quest for dinner.

They were eventually met by an envoy from the Council with their official guild registration documentation and an official job request for their reconnaissance mission to Mount Hakobe. Lucy tucked the flyer into the ledger she had received from Pantherlily and thanked the envoy.

With over an hour left before their departure, Lucy and Natsu wandered the streets of Era to look at all of the various magical items the city had for sale. They were passing by a shop full of light pens when a voice called for Lucy's attention.

Geoffrey, the young knight in the Princess' escort, was waving to her and greeted their group with a warm smile. Natsu frowned and turned away before Lucy could see his dower expression, but her attention was already focused on the man approaching them.

"Hello, Geoffrey," she greeted in return.

"Hey, Lucy," he said again, blushing. "Could I speak to you for a moment?"

Natsu bristled with irritation. The man had already commandeered much of their travel time talking to Lucy during their return and Natsu thought they had finally been rid of him when the Princess had taken her leave.

As if reading his mind, Geoffrey grinned but his focus was solely on the celestial mage in front of him. "Her Highness decided to stay for one more night. It's too late to set out by wagon so we have the evening to wander the city."

"There's a lot to see," said Lucy, gesturing around them. "I hope you take advantage of your visit. I wish we could but we're boarding the train to Magnolia in an hour."

"Oh," Geoffrey's face fell slightly but he recovered quickly and smiled even brighter than before. "Well, since you're leaving could I spare a moment of your time for a walk?"

Lucy looked at Natsu for his input but found him turned away from her. She saw the tension in his shoulders and frowned, concerned. "Maybe for just a moment. We don't have much time left and I need to stay close to my team."

"Oh," Geoffrey said again, his smile faltering. "Well I'll be quick, then."

They walked off a short ways. She hoped they stopped before Natsu went out of view and was grateful when Geoffrey pulled up just short of turning the corner. To a normal person, they were out of earshot but Lucy knew Natsu could still hear her, even if he still had not turned around to see where she went.

"So…" the young royal guard started.

"Was there something you wanted to talk about?" Lucy asked kindly.

"Well, I was… wondering if I could see you again," he forced out. He rubbed his hands together nervously.

"I'm sure we'll be passing through Crocus at some point," she reasoned. "It's a bit out of the way but I'll try to come say hello."

Geoffrey's brows furrowed and he scuffled his feet against the cobblestones. "I meant… I was hoping I could see you in a more… familiar manner, if you understand my meaning."

Lucy stared at him, hearing him but having trouble comprehending his words. "O-oh. You mean, like a date?"

Geoffrey nodded.

From the other end of the street, Natsu was frozen in place. He heard every word they spoke and could not do anything about it. He recalled the passage in Lucy's journal he had spied on months ago and remembered that she had dated during their year apart.

Is it really weird to think that she would just not date now? he questioned himself. I don't want her dating him. Please say no. Please say no.

Oblivious to her partner's internal agony, Lucy was in distress herself. She was surprised, that she was certain of, but she did not feel any longing for the man presenting himself to her. It was a gift she wanted, but not this one. He did not have a fire in his soul that she desired.

She gave him a sad smile and apologized. "I'm sorry, Geoffrey, I'm flattered but I have to say no. My heart..."

Geoffrey looked behind her and gestured with his chin. Lucy took a deep breath and nodded. She did not have to look to know who he was looking at. Geoffrey gave a resigned sigh and nodded.

"Thank you for being honest and kind about it," he grinned and stuck out his hand. "Still, come say hello when you pass through."

Lucy took his hand and shook. "Absolutely. Have a safe trip home, Geoffrey."

"You too, Lucy. See you around."

The guard waved back to the others in her group and wandered off. Lucy rejoined them, taking her preferred place at Natsu's side, completely unaware of the wondrous look her best friend was giving her.

Their full group boarded the last train out of Era with all their gear in tow. Somehow, Levy had convinced Gajeel to carry her book bag, something the iron dragon slayer immediately regretted as the bag was unbelievably heavy.

The trip by train would take three full days with only one transfer towards the end, so Lucy had gotten everyone their own sleeper cars in preparation for the long trip. Wendy would share her car with the Exceeds and Lilia, who was still uncomfortable around the men. Each group tucked themselves into their compartments to settle in until morning when breakfast was offered in the dining car.

As soon as the train pulled out of the station, all three of the dragon slayers were rendered useless. Wendy came as a surprise to the group, as she had never succumb to motion sickness before. Natsu found this especially tragic as she was unable to cast her stabilizing spell, Troia, to make the trip easier to bear.

In the privacy of their compartment, Lucy pulled Natsu over to the bed and had him lay down to ease his suffering. She was grateful for the long couch on the adjacent wall there for her own use.

As she helped Natsu roll into the bed, he grabbed her and pulled her down with him, groaning like a petulant child and shoving his head into her stomach. She laughed lightly and began running her fingers through his hair to help him relax.

They settled like this for a time. Lucy on her back with Natsu curled up like a cat at her side, begging for pets. She stared down at the top of his head and thought about the young man she had rejected that night.

 _Why did I tell him that? I could have just said no._ Lucy berated herself repeatedly, her face flushing as she realized what she had admitted to a total stranger. _And that's just it! He was a total stranger. Perfectly reasonable excuse. Stupid Lucy._

Her fingers clenched and scraped her nails along Natsu's scalp, causing him to emit a low, guttural groan beneath her hand. She smirked and did it again, satisfied when she received similar results. She likened the sound to her own whenever she treated herself to a massage, so she knew he was at least enjoying it. She lightened up and continued running her fingers through his hair until sleep took over and she left the conscious world behind.

* * *

The days on the train passed slowly and by the time they rolled into Magnolia, the slayers had been knocked out and bound for easy maneuvering through the station.

Lucy had divvied up the reward for Levy's rescue so everyone without a home spread out to find lodgings before night fell with the promise to meet back at the guild. Lucy headed to her apartment first to drop off their things. Happy followed her, carrying the trussed up slayer as Natsu struggled to regain consciousness.

Lucy's apartment was unusually dark. The curtains were drawn, which she never did unless she was changing, so she entered cautiously, preparing for the worst.

"Lucy?" a voice called from within. "Please don't be alarmed."

"Jellal?" she called out incredulously. "What in the world are you doing in my house?"

"Uh, well, it's not just me."

A light flickered on and four figures in heavy blue cloaks stepped into view. Happy dropped Natsu in surprise, jarring the dragon slayer into consciousness. Jellal Fernandes stood before them, his red tattoo a stark contrast against his pale skin, flanked by his guildmate Meredy and two others she would never could have dreamed would set foot in her apartment.

"Nice to see you Meredy," she greeted with a small wave. "Hello Cobra, Angel."

"It's Sorano now," the woman in white insisted.

"Oh. Ok." Lucy looked around awkwardly. "What are you doing in my house?"

Natsu grumbled from behind the cloth they had gagged him with when leaving the train.

"Nice, Sugar Tits," Cobra commented, staring down at the other slayer. "I wouldn't want him blowing chunks all over me either."

Natsu growled at the crass nickname the Poison dragon slayer threw at Lucy so casually. At the sound, Lucy remembered that he was there and bent down to untie him.

"Sorry," she whispered before turning back to her unexpected guests. "Did you need something from me?"

Jellal raised his hands in a gesture of peace and stepped forward carefully. "We were told you were going after the group kidnapping people from around Fiore."

"Who told you that?" she asked suspiciously. She might want them pardoned but she was well aware of their history and she still found it frightening when four people randomly show up in her home.

"Kinana told us," Cobra said simply. "She was traveling with us until you told her the guild was back."

"You guys were the ones who taught her magic?" Happy asked.

Jellal nodded. He was about to speak but Lucy cut in before he could.

"Wasn't Erza with you? Is she in town?"

Jellal's eyes met the floor. "That's actually why we're here."

Meredy put her hand on his arm and took over. "We haven't seen her in nearly four months. She went undercover with one of the groups we were following, she wanted to help the women they took but she disappeared. No trace of her anywhere or the group she infiltrated. Kinana called because it might be connected to your mission."

"What group was this?" Natsu asked as he removed the gag from his mouth and stood up.

"A band of mercenaries who were terrorizing a few villages to the North. Tame compared to our usual marks but they all wore the same crest. We found that unusual so we wanted to find out who they were working for." Meredy pulled out a scrap of cloth with a crescent moon embroidered onto it. Both Lucy and Natsu recognized it immediately.

"This was the group we stopped a few days ago," Lucy exclaimed. "Erza wasn't among them or one of the prisoners. She would have shown herself."

Jellal shook his head. "Something happened to her and I don't know what but I have a feeling she's not in the country any longer. She would have found her way back by now if she was."

"What can we do?" Lucy asked carefully.

"Look for her while you search for the others," Jellal requested. "Add her to the list of the missing and find out where those bastards sent her."

"Ok." Lucy stepped forward and hugged the hurting man. "She's still a Fairy Tail mage. We'll bring her home."

"Thank you," Jellal whispered into their embrace. He took a deep breath and straightened himself out. "We'll head out. Kinana knows how to reach us if you find anything or need our help."

Lucy nodded and walked them out. Once they were gone she finally dropped her bag on the bed and fell down beside it with an 'Oomph'. She pushed the heel of her palms into her eyes and rubbed them wearily.

"Why does this keep getting bigger, Natsu?" she complained. "We were just supposed to go out, convince people to come back to the guild, then come home, throw a big party and be happy. How do we get roped into these things?"

"Because we care about things too much," he replied, dropping onto the bed beside her. "We don't leave nakama behind, either."

"I know," Lucy sighed, exasperated. "This is really important and a really big deal, especially if they got Erza. We were lucky to get the drop on those guys. They won't be so careless next time."

Natsu nodded in agreement before standing back up. He reached out a hand to pull Lucy to her feet again. "We should head over to the guild. We need to set up the search party tonight so we can head out tomorrow."

Lucy groaned. "Can I please have a day off?"

"You just had three days off on a train!"

"That's not the same and you know it!"

"Lucy! Natsu! Come on!" Happy shouted, stopping their banter. "We have to go tell Laxus that he's guild master now."

"Oh yeah," Natsu grinned. "I can't wait to see the look on his face!"

"Have we told anyone else?" Happy questioned.

"I don't think so," Lucy mused. "We wanted it to be a surprise."

"Let's go!" Natsu crowed. "This is going to be great!"

* * *

The guild doors burst open as Natsu, Lucy, and Happy made their way into the hall. Carefully placed enchantments kept the doors from slamming into the walls and held them open until everyone who needed to come or go had passed through.

"We're back!" Natsu shouted out.

"Aye!" Happy joined in.

"Oi! Laxus!" Natsu shouted up to the second floor balcony. The lightning dragon slayer looked down at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Congrats on the promotion! You're guild master now!"

Silence fell in the guild hall. A stricken look crossed Laxus' face as though he had been struck by his own lightning. "What the hell are you talking about, Flame-head?"

"The Council wouldn't let us put down Makarov's name since no one knows where he is," Lucy answered, confirming Natsu's statement. "We had to choose someone and you expressed interest in the position before so… tada!"

Laxus' brow twitched as Macao patted him on the back.

"Good luck, man," the older gentleman sympathized. "You're about to get really old, really fast."

"Shut up," Laxus replied, shoving the man into Wakaba who stood beside them.

Guild members started to gather around and congratulate Laxus on his position and Lucy made her way over to the bar, leaving Natsu to continue his rolling laughter across the floor. Jet and Droy were already there, reconnecting with Warren and Nab. Gajeel and Levy came in a few minutes later to the cheers of everyone around.

The biggest reception was given to Wendy who poked her head in shortly after. Cana started screaming and the youngest dragon slayer was lifted into the air and was not able to set foot back on the floor for at least ten solid minutes.

During all of this, Lucy spotted Lilia huddled by the guild doors watching everything warily and clearly hoping that no one would notice her. Lucy got her attention with a wave and beckoned her to the bar.

"Would you like something to eat or drink?" Lucy offered. She had already given the new ledger, job request and funds for Mira to put away and share with Laxus when things calmed down.

"What is this place?" Lilia asked.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Lucy hollered, spooking the poor girl. "This is our guild. Everyone here is rambunctious and chaotic but good hearted. You are in the safest place in the world right now, guaranteed."

Mirajane introduced herself and before long Lilia was behind the bar herself, pouring drinks for other guild members, a small, timid smile flickering on her face. Cana was seated at the other end with a group of visitors Lucy had not noticed before. Quatro Cerberus had kept their promise to come visit their Siren and Bacchus was the frontrunner in a challenge to best Cana at a drinking game.

Lucy stood and motioned for Gajeel and Natsu to join her near the stairs.

"We need to get a team together for tomorrow before the drinking starts," she told them as they reached her. "We don't want to waste time trying to gather volunteers when people are working off hangovers."

"Yeah, you're right," Gajeel agreed. He caught Laxus' eye from across the room and beckoned the newly appointed guild master to their huddle.

Laxus excused himself from the crowd of well wishers and joined their small conference. "Is this about what you found in the mountains?"

They looked at him in surprise. He shrugged. "Mira clued me in a little. She didn't know much but said it wasn't good. Fill me in on the rest."

Lucy pulled out a second copy of the job flyer she had held onto and showed him. "We found Levy, Jet, and Droy caught up in a trafficking ring that has ties to a bigger movement gathering somewhere on Mount Hakobe. We were hired as a guild to search the mountain, locate their meeting place, and report to the Council so we can put a stop to it. Save who we can, if we can, but stopping the organization takes priority."

Laxus nodded and crackled his magic across the guild, bringing the raucous crowd to a quiet standstill.

"Listen up! We might be excited but we're still mages and the Council has work for us to do!" he barked out. His voice carried across the vast room with ease. "We need a group to assist in a recon mission to Mount Hakobe leaving tomorrow morning. Search and assist, nothing reckless. Do I have volunteers?"

"What are we searching for?" Bickslow called out from the second floor. His totems floated casually around his head.

Laxus relayed the job details to the guild with Lucy filling in the blanks as needed. She kept out the details of Levy's trauma and did not use Lilia's name in order to protect their privacy but she was forthright about the things she had witnessed in the camp. Both women shot her a grateful look that she responded to with a smile.

Chatter broke out across the guild. Members were getting angry and magical energy crackled through the air. They were all ready to take down this operation.

Laxus held up his hand, calling for silence once again. "We don't need everyone on this. We have to keep a presence here and there's no reason for all members to get involved. I suggest a manageable team that will go out first with an assist team set up at a base camp to regroup at the end of the day."

"We'll go," Bacchus called out, standing with the other visiting members of his guild.

"Aren't you here on a job?" Cana questioned.

He shrugged. "Finished and paid, pretty lady. A few more days won't hurt. Mount Hakobe is on the way home anyway."

"Thank you for volunteering." Laxus turned to the crowd. "Any others actually part of this guild willing to go?"

"We're going, obviously," Natsu spoke up, gesturing to himself, Lucy, and Gajeel. Happy floated overhead and gave a loud "Aye!" as well. Voices started popping up from the crowd.

"I'd like to be on the assist team," came Wendy's call. Carla gave a firm nod at her side, standing tall in her humanoid form.

"Yeah, I'll go too," Cana slurred, lifting her mug into the air.

"We'll search too!" Romeo called out, his father, Macao, and Wakaba nodding in agreement.

In the end, Bickslow and Elfman joined the search team while Jet, Droy, and Levy agreed to stay with the assist team due to their recovery.

"We'll meet here at nine tomorrow morning," Laxus ordered. He was staying behind as guild master but would be there to see them off. "Until then, everyone enjoy yourselves. Without damaging the guild hall, please."

A celebration came to life in the guild hall. Becoming an official guild again was reason enough for the wine to flow but Laxus had been named their guild master and more of their family had come home too. The doors leading to the outdoor deck and pool were opened and drinks flowed freely from cracked kegs around the room.

Lucy and Natsu ate a hearty meal prepared by Mirajane and they discovered that Lilia had an affinity for cooking as well. Mirajane gushed over the possibility of having the extra help at the bar but let Lilia's noncommittal shrug be enough of an answer for now.

After Lucy was pulled away by Cana and Levy for a game, Natsu found himself wandering back up to the patio on the top level of the guild. He laughed when Lisanna appeared at his side minutes later and took the plate of fire chicken she had brought with her.

"Figures I'd meet you out here. How has it been around here?" he asked around a mouthful of chicken.

Lisanna's nose crinkled in distaste as she watched him eat. "It was quiet. The Cerberus guys helped liven it up when they got here last night but nothing beats the full blown riot we get when the guild decides to throw a party."

Natsu laughed through his nose and swallowed. He looked out at the night, the sun having set an hour or so before, and marveled at how clear the sky was.

"Anything interesting happen while we were gone? Bacchus' stalking notwithstanding."

Lisanna snorted and stole a piece of chicken off of his plate. He did not miss the blush peppering her cheeks. "Uhm… actually yeah."

"What is it?" he prodded. She leaned back as he tried to poke her with the leg of chicken he was working through.

"I was, uh, asked on a date today if you must know. Months of flirting and he finally bucked up and asked." Lisanna dropped the uneaten piece of chicken back onto the plate, her face warm.

"Eh? Bicks got his shit together then?" Natsu laughed.

Lisanna stammered, "How did you-"

Natsu shrugged. "I just knew."

He smiled as she laughed and was drawn into his memories of their childhood together. Their adventures and plans for the future. One memory in particular stood out and it made him frown.

"Hey, Lis?"

"Yeah?"

"Was I ever supposed to ask you out?"

Lisanna stared at him in surprise. "Huh? Why would you ask me out?"

Natsu looked down at his empty plate, still frowning. "You told me we were getting married when we were little, before we thought you had died, and I guess I just never thought about what that meant. I always just expected that it was a thing and didn't consider that might mean more to you."

Lisanna laughed merrily, her hands gripping the railings of the roof to keep herself upright. "Oh Natsu, we were just kids back then! I did not know what marriage was any more than you did. I just knew it was something that two people who loved each other did when they got older. I knew that I loved you and so it just made sense at the time. We were close before I got sent to Edolas but two years away gave me a bigger understanding of our part in this universe, Natsu, and I'm not the one you want to be with anyway, am I?"

"I don't know what I want anymore, Lisanna. That's not true. I know… I have all these aches that I can't make sense of and I just..."

"You can always talk to me, Natsu," she took the empty plate back from him and smiled. "We're family."

"I'm happy for you, by the way. I hope he makes you smile every day."

"Thanks Natsu. He does. If you've found the person that brings light into your life the way you burst head first into everyone else's, you need to go for it. You never know if you might get sucked into another dimension tomorrow."

Natsu smirked and looked over the railing as the guild doors open. He saw Lucy walking out with Loke at her heels. He felt the same warm pinch in his gut and sighed.

"Yeah. I found her."

"Then go get her, idiot." Lisanna pinched his side.

Natsu nodded and turned to leave. "Thanks for the food, Lis."

She nodded and pushed him with her foot. He grinned cheekily and ran through the door.

* * *

Lucy took a deep breath of the crisp night air as she exited the guild hall. Once again Loke was begging to stay and she just wanted to go home and relax, sleep in her own bed for once, before she was whisked away on another mission.

She had stopped by her landlady's house on her way to the guild and paid another forward on her rent. Five full months without having to worry about rent and more jobs on the way. She took another deep breath and stretched.

"Loke, if you want to stay, just stay," she suggested. "You came here in your own this time. Some of the girls from town stopped by if you want to flirt with something."

"But what about your safety?" he teased. "Your honor? Your virtue!"

She rolled her eyes at the spirit's dramatics. "If I get into trouble, I'll call Virgo."

"See? This is why I have to go with you. I'm your best and still not your first choice! You wound me."

"I'm sure you'll recover," she quipped back.

"So mean," he pouted.

A loud bang echoed behind them as the guild doors flew open. A ball of pink hair rushed out and headed in their direction.

"Lucy!" Natsu called.

Loke smirked. "Looks like your real escort is here. Call me if you need anything."

He wandered back towards the guild as Natsu came to an unsteady stop by Lucy's side.

"Hey," he whispered, panting.

"Hey," she returned, eyebrow raised. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah." He pointed to the roof of the building behind them as they started to walk away. "I saw you leaving. Wanted to know… if I could walk you home."

Lucy blinked slowly twice before nodding with an amused smile. "You didn't have to run, you know. I don't walk that fast."

He grinned. "I know. But I wanted more time with you, so I had to hurry."

Lucy's heart fluttered in her chest. They approached her street fairly quickly. "Would you like to come in? If you're looking for more time... with me…"

Natsu flushed. "Oh, well, if you're not busy?"

Lucy laughed as they walked up her steps. "I have never heard you be so courteous of my space before. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Natsu waited until she had closed the door behind them before responding. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you."

"About the mission tomorrow?" Lucy removed her shoes and walked towards her kitchen to put on a kettle for tea.

Natsu followed her, shaking his head. "No, something else."

"What is it?" Lucy stepped away from her stovetop and turned back to face her best friend.

Natsu was struggling to hide how rapidly he was breathing. His face felt unusually warm as Lisanna's encouragement pushed at his tongue. "It's about our team."

"Our team?" Lucy questioned, confused.

"Us."

Lucy flushed. "O-oh. Is there something wrong? Are you unhappy with me as your partner?"

"No! No, that's not it." Natsu looked away from her pointed gaze, his stomach twisting into knots. "I meant us… as people."

Lucy's eyes never left him, her heart suddenly pounding heavier in her chest. His eyes were hidden behind his hair as he stared at his feet and she was getting anxious. "Natsu?"

Natsu's shoulders squared with resolve. He closed the space between them and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Lucy, I love you."

* * *

 **A/N - Hey lovies. Sorry for taking so long to post this. NaLu Week wiped me out, then I went on vacation, then I got sick. I had the energy to get this out today though, so I hope you liked it. I got the beginnings of something special in this chapter just for you. Thank you for sticking with me! -xoxo**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16:

Every breath and rustle of fabric echoed through the silence that flooded the small apartment. Lucy's mouth hung open as she stared at her best friend, her chest heaving wildly as though her innards were trying to force their way out. Natsu was staring back at her, his eyes wide as if he could not believe he had just spoken the words she had heard.

 _"Lucy, I love you."_

The words hung between them. Breaths quick, hearts pounding, Natsu's feelings laid bare for her to accept or deny. Lucy was stunned.

"Eh?" she squeaked out at last. "You… love me?"

Natsu gulped, his mouth painfully dry. He nodded slightly but kept his eyes locked on hers to wait for her reaction. All he saw so far was shock and he was impatient for something more concrete. His heart thudded against his chest in anticipation and the feeling made him nervous.

"Love like nakama?" Lucy asked carefully.

Her breath hitched when he shook his head.

She took a deep breath and tried again. "Love like… Alzack and Bisca?"

Natsu nodded, holding his breath. His nerves started growing cold with fear as she processed this revelation in silence. It crossed his mind briefly that she might not feel the same way and the possibility of rejection froze his limbs in place.

His dread was unnecessary and he relaxed when Lucy smiled brightly, her eyes glimmering with sincerity. She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him close. "I… I love you like Alzack and Bisca, too."

Natsu wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck, taking a deep breath. Relief spread through him with the realization that she returned his feelings. He could not help but let the wide smile take over his face as they laughed together, feeling a little ridiculous about their shared awkwardness but also ridiculously happy.

Lucy pulled away so she could look up at him, brushing a stray happy tear from her eye. Natsu yelped when she balled her hand into a fist and punched his shoulder.

"What was that for?" he shrieked, rubbing at the sore spot.

"Most people start off by asking a girl out on a date first!" She pouted, crossing her arms across her chest for effect, but her eyes could not hide the mirth also echoed in her tone.

Natsu grinned, pulling her into another warm embrace. "When have we ever been 'most' people, Luce?"

"Never. But I can still be annoyed!" she grumbled into his shoulder.

"I couldn't stop you anyway." He pulled back to look at her. "Want to go on a date with me, Lucy?"

She snorted and punched him again, eliciting another satisfying yelp. "Why bother? We do everything together anyway."

Natsu raised a hand to gently cup her face and ran the pad of his thumb gently along her cheek. "If you want a date, I'll take you on a date. Maybe I want one, too."

Lucy leaned her head into his hand and smiled. "We can talk about dates after the mission. Things don't have to be different, Natsu. We're just changing the terms. There's a big chunk of me that wants to be with you, however we make that work."

"However we make it work," Natsu echoed. He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes.

They stayed together that night, drinking the tea Lucy made and playing simple games together. They talked and shared stories the way they did any other night, only now this included deliberate hand holding and delicate touches to solidify the new levels they had added to their relationship.

Happy flew in a few hours later and cuddled up between them, overjoyed by the news of their shared feelings and teased mercilessly until Lucy locked him in a cupboard. Lucy eventually got her time to relax and bathe without interruption, although Natsu accidentally set a pad of paper on fire when snooping through her desk. Things were changing for the young pair but their relationship did not have to be different, only deeper and better than before.

* * *

"So, do I call you my boyfriend?" Lucy asked as she and Natsu prepared breakfast together the next morning. They had fallen asleep on the couch listening to Happy babble on about being closer to Carla than ever only to wake up hungry and ill prepared for the mission they were about to embark on.

They rushed to repack the bags Lucy had cleaned out the night before, filling them once again with clean clothes and fresh supplies, silently lamenting their lack of downtime between jobs. Lucy eyed the necklace that Natsu had procured for her back in the mining town and slipped it carefully into her pack. She doubted she would have a chance to wear it but did not see the harm in keeping it close.

"Is that what you want me to be?" Natsu replied to her question, shoving slices of cheese into his mouth as Lucy cooked, deftly avoiding her swipes to get him to leave the food alone until she was done.

Lucy frowned. "It seems so trivial."

"We're partners," he stated. "We've been partners on missions and things… This isn't any different."

Lucy looked up at him and smiled. "Partners. That's perfect."

They shared a satisfied look and turned back to their food preparation. Lucy looked at the time and sighed. "We should probably take this to go or we're going to be late."

"I'll grab the bags and wake up Happy." Natsu popped an uncut strawberry into his mouth and walked off, leaving Lucy to pack up their meal.

They reached the guild hall with the others. No one was late so they took off as soon as they recapped their shared knowledge about the job and got everyone on the same page about what they were likely to face on the mountain. If anyone noticed Lucy and Natsu's entwined grip they did not say anything, although Natsu caught Lisanna's knowing smirk from where she stood behind the bar with Mirajane. He stuck his tongue out at her childishly which only made her smirk grow more victorious.

Natsu tightened his grip on Lucy's hand and turned back to focus on the group preparing for departure.

"The main group - that's you gathered here - will head out now," Laxus was saying. "The support team will follow this afternoon and set up camp here about a kilometer out from the base of the mountain to avoid detection but still fairly accessible."

As he spoke, Laxus was pointing to a large map of Mount Hakobe that Reedus had drawn in the air with his light pens. Lucy studied the map diligently, memorizing the rough terrain she did not remember from their previous visits. An extra rocky cluster on the East side of the mountain stood out amongst the otherwise consistent terrain.

"Something on your mind, Lucy?" Laxus encouraged, noticing her studious gaze.

"That cluster there is different from the rest of the mountain. Good cover, faces away from the majority of the country. I'd like to start there," she reasoned, looking to Natsu for his input. She was not disappointed when he smiled and agreed to follow her.

Laxus nodded his consent to their plan and started assigning other small teams to different areas on the mountain that were known for their intricate cave systems.

"We will either get lucky and find these bastards quickly," Laxus continued once the teams were assigned. "Or you are going to spend a lot of time searching empty caves. I'm tasking Warren to the support team as an information relay. If you hear anything suspicious or see any movement, do NOT engage until we can get a second team to your location."

A collective groan from the fight inclined mages rose up into the air.

"Aw come on, Laxus-," Natsu started to whine but cut off when the lightning dragon slayer shot a bolt at his feet.

"It's Master to you, Natsu," Laxus growled. "You put me in charge so respect the choices I make."

Lucy struggled to hold back her laughter as Natsu paled. He shot her a stunned look and mouthed, ' _What have we done?_ ' Lucy's control broke and her mirth shouted out through the guild hall. Natsu smiled sheepishly and chuckled with her as laughter spread through the mages gathered with them.

Laxus rolled his eyes and turned back to the map to mark circles around the areas each team would target. He turned back when the noise started to simmer down and gave his last instructions before sending them on their way.

"Warren has programmed the map to your new lacrima coms at my request," he explained. "One com per team so don't get separated and don't get cocky. Your assigned target spots and the support base will be updated by the time you get there, so use it. Now get out of here and bring those fuckers down!"

A rousing cheer shook the guild roof as Fairy Tail screamed their war cry to the heavens. Lucy met Natsu's eyes as they roared and she squeezed his hand one last time before releasing him to join their friends.

* * *

The mages in the main group set out together but split up into their smaller teams a few hours away from the base of the mountain to help avoid detection. Happy was asked to stay behind with the support team in case someone needed a fast extraction, so Natsu and Lucy made their way up the mountainside without him. Their trek was short using the map and by midday they had found the strange cluster of rock that marked their destination. They discovered it easily but frowned when they found nothing else in the immediate area.

"I really had a strong feeling that _something_ was going to be here," Lucy mused quietly. Her fingers brushed lightly against Natsu's as she moved passed him into the thick of the outcrop. "There's nothing though."

"I know what you mean," Natsu partially agreed. "That's what's weird. I feel magic, but… do you feel that?"

Lucy straightened up and closed her eyes. She reached out with her senses and come up with nothing. Endless waves of nothingness…

She opened her eyes with a small gasp. "Natsu, there is _too much nothing_."

"Exactly," he supplied, pleased that she had come to the same conclusion he had. "That tells us something might be here."

"Knowing our luck it's not going to be related to the mission at all," she grumbled, kicking at a loose stone on the path.

Natsu grinned. "Knowing our luck it's going to be really big, really awesome, and way too big to deal with. I'm getting fired up. Let's find it!"

"Natsu!" Lucy hissed. "At this rate it _will_ be related to our mission and your shouting will give away our location!"

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu dismissed her fears with a wave. "Let's just find whatever it is and report back in. I want to fight something."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You always want to fight something."

"Of course I do. It's one of my many charms," Natsu concluded with a wink. He grabbed Lucy's hand and pressed a chaste kiss to the back of it, causing her to blush. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."

Lucy took her hand back and turned away with a slight pout. "Sh-shut up, Natsu."

He pulled her hand back into his and started to lead her further along the path. "Come on. Let's find the nothing in this mess."

Lucy huffed but followed close behind, slipping her fingers between his as they walked. The air grew thin as their elevation increased and Lucy was finding it difficult to keep her breath.

"I think we're getting closer." Natsu's attempt to encourage her was not lost on Lucy, but after their third check-in with the support team reporting nothing and no one else seeming to have found anything either, her spirits were very low.

"We should find a place to camp for the night," she suggested quietly. "We can't track nothing in the dark."

"Just a little further," Natsu pressed, but he knew they were close to being done for the day. Their water supply was almost gone and the cool winds blowing of the snowy peak were going to make for a freezing night.

Lucy did not argue as they continued up the mountain, searching for caves and magic traces. Instead she thought back on their peaceful morning together and hoped their mission was over soon so they could settle in and figure out what it meant to be together.

 _Together_ , Lucy let out a small giggle, her lips perked up in the corners.

"What's so funny?" Natsu's voice cut through her thoughts.

She wrinkled her nose with a smile. "Just thinking about this morning and last night. Reminding myself that you chasing me down outside the guild was not a dream."

Natsu grinned and pulled her into his side, hanging his arm loosely across her shoulders. "Definitely not a dream, Luce. I'm interested in you and you're interested in me. No taking it back, either."

"Is that a promise or a threat?" Lucy teased.

"A promise." Natsu turned and pressed his nose against hers, their foreheads flush. "This isn't just some spontaneous thing, Lucy. I'm confident in how I feel about you and I hope you are too."

Lucy feared that her face would break with how wide her smile grew as he spoke. "I am. It seems surreal, like I'm going to wake up suddenly… but I like this."

Natsu returned her smile fondly and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Come on. Just a little further, then we'll call it a day."

Their mountain path banked along the edge of a narrow cliff face, the terrain uneven and threatened to be treacherous as the wind started to pick up and pull at their clothes. The feeling of nothing was stronger the longer they stayed on their path, so they fought onward against the danger in the hopes of nothing proving to be something after a day of hoping it could.

As they turned a blind corner, the oppressive air of nothingness dissipated and they were met with a wall of intense magical power.

"What could be giving off such a force of magic?" Lucy whispered, fear clawing at her chest. The magical force was neither angry or kind but radiated an immense power that threatened to bring them to their knees. Lucy grabbed hold of Natsu's arm to keep herself upright.

"Something that should not be hiding at the top of a mountain," Natsu replied. He bent his knees and carefully stepped over loose debris to peek around the corner.

"We should contact the guild," Lucy warned, reminding him that they were not to engage any hostiles until help arrived.

"We need concrete information to tell them," Natsu rebutted. "We have to gather information and give them an idea of what we are up against."

"No fighting," Lucy demanded.

"Information only," Natsu vowed and beckoned for her to follow him. They crouched low and crept forward. Lucy tried her hardest to ignore the list in her head of guild members they knew who were better suited for stealth and investigation than the two of them.

At the end of the wide turn, their path opened up into a slightly wider space resting before the open mouth of a cave. The ledge opposite the cave entrance faced out to the East, overlooking the distant rolling valleys of Fiore. Lucy noticed that between her and the valley floor was a steep cliff with no natural barriers to protect them if they fell.

Natsu stopped at the mouth of the cave, bidding Lucy stay quiet so he could listen for movement within. Hearing noises in the distance but not enough to confirm the identities of the cave's inhabitants, Natsu slowly crept forward into the darkness. Lucy followed close behind, gripping the tail of Natsu's vest so they would not get separated.

A chime rang out, echoing through the narrow corridor. Lucy fumbled at her belt for their communication lacrima and scrambled back out of the cave to answer the incoming call.

"Hello?" She whispered hurriedly, glancing behind herself to check if she has been followed out but Natsu was nowhere to be seen.

"Attention everyone!" Warren's voice came blaring out of the lacrima. Lucy fumbled with the unfamiliar controls trying to lower the volume before she was caught. "Macao's team came up on one of the mercenary men in town. We were able to get a more precise location off of him."

There was a sound of scuffling and shouting on the transmission before Warren's voice returned. "He's a fighter, stubborn as an ass but we know their base is on the East side. Try to find a cave up towards the summit."

"I think we found it, Warren," Lucy spoke into the lacrima as loudly as she dared. "There's a really narrow path behind some boulders but the path is windy and dangerous. Send the others our location and get here quickly. Natsu's already inside."

"Damn it all," Laxus' bitter laugh came across the open line.

"Wendy!" Warren called out. "Get the Exceed and take the Raijinshuu to Lucy's location!"

"Don't engage, Blondie," Laxus growled. "Remind that idiot that you do NOT engage until support arrives."

Lucy's brow twitched in irritation. "Got it, _Master_."

"Don't take that tone with me-". Lucy hung up on their guild master and disconnected her magic from the lacrima so it would not ring again before heading back into the cave.

"Natsu?" she whispered, hoping he had not gone far. She crept along the pathway, hands sliding along the stone walls of the cave to guide her path.

Warm hands slid over her mouth and grasped her waist, eliciting a muffled shriek to escape the blonde mage.

"Shhh," Natsu hushed in her ear. "I scouted ahead. This is the place."

Lucy nodded and pulled at his hands so she could speak. "Warren is sending reinforcements. How many are in there?"

"I couldn't tell from my position, but I heard a few men saying something about getting ready to leave because the gateway is being opened? Not sure what that means but the others better hurry. We're running out of time."

Lucy reached for her communication lacrima again. "I'll call the others back and tell them to hurry."

Natsu put his hand out to stop hers. "No time. We might have to interfere."

"We're supposed to wait, Natsu," Lucy insisted stubbornly. "We don't know what we're going up against."

"I'm just talking about a distraction. Enough to stall them until the guild gets here," he insisted. "There are other people in there, Lucy. Innocent ones. Remember the camp?"

"I can't forget it," Lucy mumbled, wincing as her memories reminded her of the abuse they had witnessed. Her feet started moving her deeper into the cave on their own. "Let's go see what we're really up against."

The cave led deep into the mountain before angling sharply to the right and rounding back to open up into a large cavern. A small pool lay on the left side of the room, fed by a stream of water trickling from a small ventilation hole in the ceiling. Through that same hole, a single beam of fading sunlight cast long shadows throughout the room. Torches lit the dark spaces, revealing large piles of crates and chests with unknown contents. Lucy and Natsu noted that the piles were stacked closer the the far side, along a wide open space of stone that spread over the Eastern edge of the mountain.

A small, stone circle filled with stacks of wood and fire lay in the middle of the cavern. Figures shifted back and forth around a large mixing pot and they could see others hovering near large metal cages, blocking their view of the inhabitants of the frightening contraptions. Muffled whimpers and cries bled out beneath the chattering din of conversation that filled the cavern air.

Lucy let out a small gasp when she realized that the cages held people waiting to be transferred to wherever these men were from. Natsu covered her mouth with his hand and ducked them quickly behind a large stalagmite jutting out from the cavern floor when a shadowed figure moved closer to their position at the entrance.

"What's wrong, Lyndon?" a deep, dry voice called from out of sight.

The figure slowed and turned towards the speaker. "I thought I heard something. Was gonna go check it out."

"Be quick. Dowarr is going to open the portal soon and we have to be ready."

"I don't want to take a chance, Argan. After that fiasco Nertz caused near the capital, we can't afford any mistakes with the rest of the cargo."

"Hurry back. The men are getting restless and want to start breaking in more of the merchandise."

"You can handle it for a few minutes. Let them work the ones headed for the Breeders if it's that bad. They'll need to learn submission soon enough anyway."

The man closest to their hiding spot, Lyndon, moved closer to the stalagmite hiding their unwelcome guests. Natsu pressed Lucy deeper into the shadows and the man slipped out into the passageway.

"We have maybe five minutes before he is back, tops," Natsu breathed into Lucy's ear. "Head to the next pillar away from the cave. You'll be more hidden there."

"What about you?" Lucy whispered back.

"I'm heading towards the crates. I'll cause a diversion and get their attention. I need you to find the keys and get those people out. You heard them. They're getting ready to leave. We don't have time to wait for the others."

Lucy nodded in compliance although she was reluctant to move away from Natsu's side. _Laxus is going to have our hides for this. He'll sew us into that gaudy fur coat he always wears and flaunt our disobedience so no one else dares cross him._

"Go," Natsu ordered and took off towards the crates while Lucy aimed her path in the other direction.

A sharp, effeminate scream rose out of the circle of bodies surrounding her goal. Lucy felt the familiar edge of fury boil in her veins at the thought of what heinous crimes those cretins were committing upon the innocent victim they held at their mercy.

"Shut up, sweetheart," a pustulous man with missing teeth demanded to the pale, shackled woman beneath him. He cut at the rags she wore with a grime covered knife, licking his chapped lips hungrily as he exposed her body to the room. "Yer headin' to the Breeders. Gotta make sure yer nice and sweet for them, eh?"

Lucy blanched as the man leaned back and began unbuckling the belt at his waist. One of the other men already had his pants down, cock rigid and flushed in the cavern air. He tried pulling the woman from the man struggling with his belt to take his turn but the first man slashed out at him with his knife.

"Back off 'n get yer own," he growled. "There's plenty to go around."

"She's the best lookin' of the ones Ofera will let us have," the fuck-ready bastard argued. "Don't be greedy."

The man with the knife lashed out again. "Ye can have her when I'm done. Ain't that right, precious? Ye'll be good for the both of us won't ya? Gotta get that practice in before we take ya to the block, eh?"

The woman screamed as he pulled his own cock from his trousers, tugging at the loose skin around the head furiously in his excitement. The second man slapped her, cutting off her scream until the only sounds were the fapping of skin and her muffled sobs.

Lucy pulled Virgo's key from the pouch at her belt and readied it to summon. She looked towards the crates for Natsu's diversion, silently begging for him to appear so they could rescue the poor girl. When nothing happened, her eyes widened in fear for the captive lying prone on the floor.

"Hold her down," the man with the knife asked his companion, pulling the girl's legs apart and lining himself up to enter her. "Oh girly, yer gonna feel so good when I'm done with you. That's a good girl, open up fer me. Jus' like that."

The girl struggled desperately to get away, tears streaming down her face. Lucy cracked and refused to wait a moment longer. Bursting from her hiding place, she charged at the men with their pants down and summoned her first spirit.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE MAIDEN! VIRGO!"

In a flash of light, Lucy requipped into Cancer's Star Dress as Virgo appeared at her side. In one fell swoop, they caught both men by surprise and threw them across the room and away from their shackled prisoner, Lucy slicing with her dual swords and deftly slicing their spines so they would not walk again.

"Virgo, get the chains off of her and get her out of her!" Lucy begged her spirit who bowed quickly and got to work.

Lucy turned towards the other groups of men scattered around the cave, meeting stunned faces trying to comprehend what was happening. _Where is Natsu?_

A flash of light burst out from the crates and wood exploded out, showering them with a wave of splinters and embers. Lucy saw Natsu fighting heavily against a man in full armor and was successfully beating him back for the time being.

"OPEN! GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!" Lucy summoned her next spirit and readied her twin swords for her attack.

"Help me find the cage keys, Taurus," Lucy responded to her spirit's moo of a 'hello'. "Take out anyone in your way to get them!"

She smiled gratefully when Taurus agreed and led the charge towards the next group of men. Some of the mercenaries were starting to respond to the chaos she and Natsu were spreading but she knocked them back down with ease. They had faced more troublesome adversaries on this mountain alone.

Lucy froze in an attack when the air around them started to vibrate. A massive magical energy was taking hold of the cavern and her opponents turned away from her to scurry towards the Eastern wall of the cavern. Lucy felt a drain on her magic and felt Virgo's gate being forced closed.

"Grab as much as you can!" Lyndon shouted, reappearing at the cave's entrance, dragging the unchained captive behind him. The girl looked completely defeated, the fight having drained from her eyes. "The portal is opening!"

Across the room, Natsu smashed his fist into his opponent's face. He had identified the man as Argan, the speaker they had heard when they first entered. It was clear that he was a leader here and Natsu was determined to take him out first. He had found the man covered in fresh blood and a small child lying beaten unconscious on the floor beside him, barely breathing.

His hit cracked the man's jaw and his body slumped to the floor, unmoving. Natsu readied himself for another attack, taking stock of the room, and saw a flurry of activity surrounding him.

A blue glow started to grow from the center of the Eastern wall. The magical power building in the cavern seemed to focus on this focal point to aid in the strong magical link forcing its way into existence. Natsu wanted to buckle at the knees when the force of energy hit him and the blue glow stabilized into a swirling silvery blue vortex.

"Grab the cargo and GO!" the second voice from their entrance cried and Natsu watched as a vicious looking man dragged a barely conscious naked girl towards the vortex.

Natsu's fists flared to life, ready to bring the place down before anyone could escape, but he was stopped by the oppressive force of magic weighing down on him and his flames were snuffed out. Men started rushing past him, ignoring his presence, dragging the bodies of fallen comrades or chests of merchandise and flinging themselves into the swirling blue.

The other leader, Lyndon, dragged the girl to the portal and threw her in, ignoring Lucy's screams of protest. Natsu tried to rush forward to stop Lucy from throwing herself at the man in an attack but he could not respond fast enough. The sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the chamber and Lucy was thrown across the room. Taurus charged at the man but a quick series of jabs rendered the spirit unable to move and his gate was closed.

"We were attacked!" the man shouted into the magical portal. "The merchandise is here but we aren't equipped to deal with mages anymore. I'm coming through."

Natsu watched the man step through the portal and instantly felt as though he could move again, the oppressive feeling lightening slightly. He wasted no time running to Lucy's side, sighing with relief when she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"I got the keys," she croaked, holding up a brass ring for him to see.

"Good job, Lucy," he grinned and helped her stand up. There was a tear in her shirt from where she landed but had luckily received little more than a few shallow scratches.

"You too. They left that guy you were fighting behind. We'll get some better info out of him."

"Yeah. I'm glad you're alright though."

She was about to respond but stopped when the magic from the portal thrummed again and three figures stepped through. The first was a tall, reedy man with a stern gaze. The second was rotund with an underbite that caused his lower jaw to jut out obviously. The third was a massive, muscular man who showed nothing in his expression but carried himself in an almost ethereal display. These mages were incredibly powerful, the force of their skill as domineering as Gildarts, only three times as much.

Natsu froze. Lucy could see it in his eyes as the force of their power filled the room and they were overwhelmed by it. She saw his uncertainty, his hesitation, threatening to consume him in the face of this danger. Her legs moved automatically, arms reaching out for him. She wanted to give him all the strength she had left. They were at the end of the line and no one would get there fast enough to help them.

Natsu's heart was heavy in his chest. His eyes grew unfocused as he remembered bowing in fear before power as great as this when facing an ally. These men were not their friends. He could hear Lucy's laborious breathing behind him and almost missed feeling her slender fingers sliding around his arm, refocusing his attention on the enemy they faced, grounding him.

"Natsu," she whispered, calling him back. He turned to look into her eyes. Brown, warm, and full of faith in him. "I'm scared."

"I'm scared too, Lucy," he admitted.

The three mages were looking around the cavern, trying to locate the source of chaos that had ruined their trade. Anger seeped out of them like a poison, withering the light around the room with their essence. Natsu moved forward, determined to put an end to the chaos their day had become. Lucy's hands gripped tighter on his arm.

"Wait!"

"We have to end this, Lucy. It's now or never."

"I know." Soft hands met his cheeks and he looked back once more. He felt warmth pressing against his mouth but before he could blink, Lucy was pulling away. "Just come back to me, ok?"

Natsu pulled her back into a quick, searing kiss. In that one moment, with that singular action, his resolve hardened and all fear left him.

"I'm all fired up now," he said with a grin, touching his forehead to hers. "Go get the cages open and get the people out of here. I'll see you soon."

Lucy nodded. She knew she could put here faith in her partner and she still had her own part to play in this. With one last fond look, they took off; Lucy towards the cages and Natsu to face their oncoming foes.

* * *

The mages saw Natsu as soon as he stepped forward. They stopped their search and approached him instead, their strides confident and unhurried.

"You think you can take us, boy?" the shorter, corpulent one barked, laughing mockingly. "This was the disruption, Everett? Your men are weak."

The tall, reedy man eyed Natsu appraisingly, his magic pushing out to test Natsu's. Natsu let his magic flare to life around him, pushing back against the invasion. The stranger nodded in acceptance and his steps added a hint of caution.

"He's not weak, Nolan. Don't underestimate your opponents," the man replied to his companion. "Brand mentioned there being two. Seraphino, find the second mage."

It took everything Natsu had to not glance towards the cages. He could barely hear Lucy moving around but it would not do for her to be caught before she had a chance to help anyone. So instead he purposefully glanced towards the opposite end of the cavern where a pile of crates remained and would have provided a decent amount of cover.

His silent diversion worked and the largest of the three men trudged over to the crates and began searching through them. Natsu heard a muffled squeak as one of the cages took an extra effort to open but before the intruders could notice, Natsu set his fists on fire and redirected their attention.

"So you guys are the ones in charge of this operation?" he asked obviously. They did not respond. "Who are you?"

The fleshy man, Nolan, smiled widely. "I am Gibbous of the Four Moons."

"Never heard of you," Natsu replied. He had not expected to know of them, but to his knowledge a guild by that name was not registered in Fiore. "You aren't from around here, are you?"

"You could say that," the thin one, Everett, responded. "Not that it matters if we tell you or not. You will be dead soon."

Natsu realized that he was between the mages and the exit. That would be a problem if Lucy was going to get the prisoners out. In a moment of crazed daring, he used his magic to propel himself between the mages towards the opposite end of the cavern and the portal, forcing them to turn around if they wanted to keep him in sight. Luckily they did.

He grinned at the challenge before him as the magical aura around the mages grew. He rotated his shoulder, stretching out the muscles in his arm. _Get them out, Lucy. I'll keep these bastards busy._

Lucy heard the shout of surprise from the mages and assumed that Natsu had done something incredibly risky. She took a deep breath and slipped another key into the nearest cage, relieved when the lock turned. She eased the door open, meeting the disbelieving eyes of the inhabitants before reaching a hand in to guide them out.

"Come on," she mouthed and pressed her finger to her lips. Three women and two children crawled from the tight confines of the cage, wobbling on unsteady legs. Lucy pulled one of the women aside and handed her some of the keys. "Help me get the others out."

The woman nodded and they worked in silence. The children gathered in a dark corner, the women not opening cages guarding them against the battle beginning in the center of the room.

Lucy hesitated at a cage holding two large, bloody men. They lay slumped over, unmoving, and Lucy did not know if it would be safe to move them.

"They were beaten and drugged so they would stop resisting," one of the women whispered in her ear. "They are prisoners like us."

Lucy nodded and motioned for two others to help her pull the men from the cages. They were heavy and one of the women let out a pained whimper as she slung a thick arm over her narrow shoulders. Lucy winced at the noise and silently begged that they would not be discovered.

Natsu shouted, trying to cover up the noises he heard coming from Lucy's position. He flew at his opponents again, trying to get his fist to connect with them. They turned his attack aside again and he missed. Angry, he leaned back and sent a fiery roar at them. The mages had not used their magic yet which aggravated him because he still could not touch them. He was so focused on trying to find an opening, he did not see the shadow pass behind him.

"Get them out," Lucy mouthed to the woman she had mentally designated as their temporary leader. She motioned towards the cave entrance with her hand and pushed with her hands as a sign for them to follow the path out. She watched patiently as they began to file out of the cave one by one.

Lucy moved to turn back towards the mages and help Natsu when a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. She gasped and was forced to turn and face the third and largest of the three mages. She was surprised by the close proximity of the man before her, his face inches from her own. Lucy took in the unearthly beauty of the man facing her and felt compelled to fall to her knees before him in submission as she looked into his eyes. She screamed as searing white hot pain coursed through her veins.

"LUCY!" Natsu shouted, his attention diverted to his partner. He saw her buckling before the third mage and cursed himself for not seeing the man move from the crates.

"Looks like Seraphino found the other little rat, Everett," Nolan smirked.

"Very well," Everett mused. "It's time to go. We've played around enough."

Before Natsu could get to Lucy's side, a whip-like beam of white light flew from Everett's arm and collided with his body. He was flung across the room and into the Eastern wall, mere feet away from the portal. As he connected with the stone, the force from the magical energy and his impact caused the stone to fracture like glass. In an instant, Natsu found himself airborne and falling through the air over the side of the cliff they had carefully climbed along no more than an hour earlier.

The blindingly hot pain stopped and Lucy slowly opened her eyes again, fearful beneath the firm gazes of the three mages before her. She reached for the keys at her belt but stopped when giant hands grasped her wrist.

"Now stop that, miss," Everett whispered, his cloying voice slipping through the air near her ear. "We just want to talk."

"Let me go," she demanded. The two men not restraining her chuckled. The large one did not emote a single expression in his broad face.

"I don't think so," Everett sneered. "You have cost us a lot of time, men, and money with your interference. I should kill your for your insolence, but I have a better idea."

Lucy's eyes widened. "What are you going to do to me?"

"You let our prisoners go, so I think we'll bring you with us to take their place. How does that sound?"

"No, please. No," she screamed as the pain came back tenfold.

Natsu heard Lucy's screaming stop for a second time and looked around wildly for some hope that could get him back up to her. He was falling faster by the second and each second took him farther away from the cave.

"NATSU!" he heard a shouting come from his left. In the distance he saw familiar figures flying towards him.

"Happy?" he called out.

"Got ya!" a call came from below him and suddenly he was flying upwards again. He turned his head to see Bickslow's silver helmet and friendly grin greeting him. "How's it going, Natsu?"

"Bicks! Get me back up there! Lucy's still in their cave." They flew upwards and as the opening approached Natsu had Bickslow throw back him into the cavern, the Raijinshuu and Exceeds following close behind.

"LUCY!" he screamed, looking around wildly for his partner. In the last split second he saw Seraphino passing through the portal, the blonde celestial mage slung over his shoulder, unconscious and bound in chains.

He ran to the portal, his magic powering him forward, reaching out to grab her as the portal flickered. He roared, fire pouring from his mouth, shaking the foundation of the cavern with his rage. Desperation surged through him, his heart clenching with the fear that he was not moving fast enough. He stretched out towards the portal, fingers inches away from her, and the portal flickered once more and disappeared, the magical energy surrounding the cave flooding away with it.

Lucy was gone.

* * *

 **A/N - So… that just happened. *cough* … *shuffles awkwardly and tries to hide behind small tree* There is a reason to my madness…**

 **Let me know what you think and where you think the story is headed. I look forward to your predictions! -xoxo**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I usually save my notes for the end of the chapter, but this is a content warning for this fic (hopefully my last). FYIC is rated 'M' because there are things in here that are going to make you uncomfortable. I'm writing it this way on purpose. Including the eventual, inevitable lemons I have promised, there will be a lot of content in here that is not always comfortable to read (or write!) about.**

* * *

Chapter 17:

"NO!" Natsu bellowed, smashing his fist into the empty wall of the cave where a shimmering blue portal once existed. "LUCY! Come back! I'll fucking kill you, you bastards! Bring her back! LUCY!"

"Natsu, stop!" Bickslow shouted, grabbing Natsu's arm before he broke his hand against the unmoving stone. Natsu wrenched away from his guild mate, throwing his clenched hands against the wall again. He felt the sting of his skin splitting open across his knuckles but ignored the bite of rough rocks grating the fresh wounds as he attacked. His hits grew weaker, allowing Bickslow to attempt to restrain him again.

"They took her! I have to get her back!" Natsu roared, anguish tearing at his insides. He wanted to throw himself at the wall until the portal opened again; until he could get to Lucy.

"Beating up empty stone isn't going to do that, idiot!" Evergreen yelled, rounding his other side to smack his head with her fan. He stared at her, stunned, before his anger dissipated completely and he was left feeling... empty.

"I can't lose her," he whispered, collapsing to the ground.

"What are we going to do?" Evergreen murmured to her team. "Did you sense the level of that magic before the gate closed?"

"I've never felt anything like it before," Bickslow admitted. "Would we have a chance against them?"

Natsu clenched his teeth, biting back a scathing retort. He felt denial pressing in at his insides, confident that he could defeat them if they came back. He pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes. _They are right though, aren't they? I could not get a single hit in on those three before they tossed me out. Who am I kidding? What chance do I have if they did come back?  
_  
"Natsu?" came a gentle voice at his elbow. Natsu peered over his arm to see a head of deep blue hair.

"Wendy," he acknowledged.

The Sky Dragon Slayer's expression was soft and Natsu felt the warm tingle of her healing magic wash over him. She gave him a sad smile as she worked on the deep cuts across his hands before moving to the scratches and bruises across his back and stomach.

"Stop," he murmured, pushing her away gently. "There was a child.. badly wounded. Help him first."

"He is already healing," Wendy assured him, pressing lightly on a cracked rib. "I saw to him first. The others are tending to him now."

"What others?" he asked, confused.

"The prisoners that you and Lucy set free," Evergreen cut in, crouching at his side. "You saved a lot of people, Natsu."

"Not everyone."

Wendy finished healing the worst of his injuries and left to help others in need of her abilities.

"You saved many," Evergreen reaffirmed, a firm glint in her gaze. "I won't have you discounting that because not everyone made it. Lucy's a big girl and a capable mage."

"I know that," he grumbled.

"Then have faith that she'll be okay until we can get to her." Evergreen stood up, gripping Natsu by the collar of his vest to pull him to his feet.

Natsu looked around the cave, noting the mess of shattered rock and broken crates littering the floor, evidence of both his and Lucy's incredible destruction of their opponent's cargo. Wendy was crouching down beside two large men, healing their wounds as some of the other women helped remove the shackles linked around their necks.

"Were any of the slavers left behind?" he asked quietly.

"Only one," Evergreen admitted. "We found him under the debris looking pretty singed. We put a set of magic canceling cuffs on him and tossed him out into the hallway to wait for the rest of the guild."

"Show me."

They passed the freed captives who were keeping busy by sorting the crates and logging their inventory with Happy and Carla who was nodding approvingly over their finds. As they moved out into the cave's natural hallway, Natsu's gaze immediately zeroed in on the unconscious figure slumped against the wall.

''Argan." Natsu recognized the man immediately. "Check his mouth for poison capsules. We lost our last lead because of one and we have confirmation that this is one of their leaders. We need him alive for information."

"Already taken care of, Natsu. We aren't amateurs." Freed Justine strode forward, coming in from the exit. "We pulled three poisoned teeth and we have Wendy nearby should he have some other hidden trick we did not find."

"Where did you go?" Evergreen questioned her teammate.

"I called Laxus," Freed replied, wiping his long fingers on the lapel of his jacket. "I asked him to contact the crown and get an escort here. I updated Warren so he can send the support team here and we can start getting these people home."

"What about Lucy?" Natsu demanded impatiently. "Did he say how we are going to get her back?"

"He's going to ask the Council to send a specialist over to help us study the residual magic from the portal. We got lucky that they used enough magic to maintain the connection that the residue should last for a few days, if not longer."

"What does that have to do with getting her back?" Natsu's frustration grew. He needed a plan and a direction. He needed to do something soon.

"Put your magic away, idiot," Evergreen snapped. Natsu looked down to see that his fists were engulfed in fire.

"Sorry," he muttered. He extinguished the flames and took a deep breath to calm himself.

''As I was saying," Freed continued without comment. "If the specialists can help us identify the spell used, we should be able to figure out where it originated from. That will give us a starting point to look for Lucy and the people who took her."

Natsu frowned. "How long will that take?"

"No clue. Hopefully no more than a few days. A week at most. I'm going to start some preliminary work on it now but I can't do too much before the support team gets here or I'll ruin the limited trace of magic we can still sense. No more uncontrolled magic in the cavern. We can't risk anything." Freed smiled sympathetically and stepped around them to get back into the trashed cavern.

"We should wake him up," Natu muttered, turning his attention back onto their prisoner. He nudged the man's leg with one sandaled foot. "He'll be more useful awake and we need answers."

"We're going to wait for backup, Natsu," Evergreen stressed, her bespectacled gaze stern. "Lucy needs the Guild behind this. Not just you on a hero trip rushing to her rescue. I know you're impulsive, but this would be beyond reckless, even for you. "

"Why is it so surprising that I don't want to wait to rescue my partner?" he spat bitterly. "Every minute that passes, her trail gets colder. I can't sit here and do nothing."

"We're not doing _nothing_. How hard do I have to pound this into your brain? We're waiting for the right resources to get here. If we rush off, we could miss out on valuable information. Trying to interrogate a prisoner without a properly trained interrogator would be a waste of time. There are people here who need your help once Wendy has healed them. She's your partner too, right? Part of the all-powerful Team Natsu? She can't do it all on her own!"

"Wendy's not my _partner_ ," Natsu muttered, too tired to explain the difference in the terms. "But fine, I'll help until we get a lead."

"That's all we ask."

Natsu stalked over to where Wendy was busily tending to a deep wound on a woman's inner thigh. The woman tensed as he approached but Wendy interfered professionally and identified him as a friend.

"Natsu," she greeted. She pointed to a bowl of water at her side. "Will you heat this for me, please? I need to clean the area before infection sets in."

"It doesn't look good," he commented as he placed his hands on the bowl and coaxed heat into the water.

Wendy hummed in agreement. "My magic is recharging so I can't heal her all the way yet. I just got the bleeding to stop but the rest will have to wait."

Natsu hissed with anger as Wendy wiped globs of congealing blood from the wound. "Did they brand you?"

The woman whimpered and gave them a jerky nod. "He c-carved… w-w-with his knife… in the f-fire."

Wendy hushed the woman, stroking her sweat soaked bangs away from her face as she started to cry. Other rescued women turned to face their area, their posture defensive.

"Thank you for heating the water, Natsu," Wendy murmured dismissively. He nodded and took his leave. He took a seat on an unbroken crate and watched the room move around him. With nothing to preoccupy himself with, his thoughts quickly turned to Lucy and the void her absence left in his heart.

* * *

 **Lucy's first indication that she had regained consciousness was the sound of a hushed conversation taking place close by. The second was the realization that she was being restrained by heavy chains that were wrapped around her entire body. Her arms were bound to her sides and her legs twisted together. She was laying on something hard and someone had removed her shoes.**

The voices began speaking again and Lucy strained to hear their words, hoping they would give her some sort of clue to what happened to her.

"Get the chains on, quickly." Lucy recognized the voice though she could not place its owner.

"Shouldn't we take her keys?"

"Why bother? Let her have her trinkets. The Duke will decide what to do with her and her belongings." Lucy flexed her fingers slowly and a wave of relief flooded her heart when her fingertips brushed against the pouch at her hip. She was grateful that she would get to keep her celestial friends close by.

 **"** **But she's a** ** _mage_** **, Everett. They're not just shiny toys."**

 **"** **They're useless to her with the cuffs, and useless to anyone else while she lives, so GET THE CUFFS ON!"**

Panic started to take over, forcing Lucy into a higher level of consciousness. She sent a pulse wave of magic into her keys, a beacon for her spirits to focus on so they could find her.

"Quickly!" the man, Everett, shouted. "She's waking up."

Lucy felt heavy hands on her ankles and cool, thin bands of metal locked into place around each limb. Instantly, her magic was pulled away from her; the warm, gentle hug it gave her disappearing completely. She tried to hold onto it but, other than a strange thrumming around her ankles, she could not reach her magic. Her body temperature began to drop. The cool, damp air started to settle in her skin and she began to shiver.

 **"** **Wakey, wakey, darling," the other man cooed mockingly. A sweaty palm pat at her cheek, sticky against her skin. "No use pretending you're asleep. We felt that little power surge just now so it's time to get up."**

Lucy cracked her eyes open, wincing at the brightness of the lacrima lights scattered in pockets across the ceiling, illuminating the room from above. Dark, beady eyes appeared in her line of vision, only inches away. A short, heavyset man hovered over her with a wide, fleshy smile adorning his face.

"Good morning, precious. How are you feeling?" Lucy frowned and decided not to answer.

 **"** **Who are you?" she rasped instead, her throat dry.**

The man stepped back, rolling his eyes. He ran a hand over the bald dome of his head and heaved an annoyed sigh. "Your companion wanted to know that, too. Pity he won't be sharing that knowledge with anyone now that he is nothing more than a smear at the base of that mountain."

Lucy coughed in surprise, her stomach plummeting in fear.

 ** _They... killed… Natsu? They couldn't have. He wouldn't let them.  
_** **  
"You're lying," she spat.**

He shrugged with a look of bland disinterest. "I could be. I did not actually see him hit the ground but it was quite satisfying to throw him over the edge."

Angry tears pricked at Lucy's eyes. She did not want to believe that her best friend was gone, but they had been alone on that mountain. The chances of a miracle rescue were slim. She swallowed thickly and pushed the anxiety she felt into the quiet place in her soul. She let the shock take over, a dangerous numbness consumed what was left of her feelings to leave only denial in its wake.

"Who. Are. You?" she demanded, her voice low.

The man boasting to have killed her partner chuckled. "I love it when you try to look threatening. You hold no power here, missy. Get used to not having things go your way… As a gesture of some of the last generosity you will ever receive, though it will do you no good, I will tell you who I am."

Lucy refrained from rolling her eyes at his pompous rhetoric and focused on his next words closely, memorizing them for the day she would make him pay for hurting Natsu.

"My name is Nolan Briggus. Known here as the Gibbous Moon, I am one head of the Four Moons. My counterpart here, Everett Dowarr, is the Crescent Moon. The large fellow you met yesterday, the one that started torturing you... he has such beautiful skills… anyway, that was Seraphino, the Full Moon. Lastly-."

"Silence, Nolan," Everett spoke sternly. "You are a fool to speak so openly of our identities to a slave."

"What does it matter, Everett?" Nolan whined flippantly. "She's headed for the Breeders. No one to talk to… if they let her keep her tongue."

Lucy shivered, suddenly feeling a strong attachment to her tongue. "What are the Breeders?"

"That is for the Duke to explain once he arrives," Everett sniped. "Our job was to procure new product for the block. You have ruined months of work and I lost two good men because of your interference. I hope the Duke does not bother putting you on the block and lets me have you instead."

"You won't get the chance," Lucy declared boldly. "I'll get out first."

Everett crossed the room to her side, bending over the table to hover over her. Lucy took in the deepening lines around his jowls, his skin loose and weathered from age, the sharp, thin nose, and the sunken eye sockets, his bright red eyes alert and vicious.

"You need to wake up and listen, girl," he hissed, hands caressing her throat before tightening to give her a light squeeze. "Your life has changed. It does not matter who you were, where you are from, or what prissy little dreams you have. Forget it all. You are to become bound, a slave to your Master and less than the dirt beneath my shoe. Learn your place."

Lucy gave him the best glare of defiance she could muster until he released her. Everett backed up, his expression annoyed, and gestured for Nolan.

"Prepare her for inspection. Seraphino will be back with Raphael soon and I must go receive the Duke." Everett stormed out of the room, the slam of a heavy door echoing through the room. It was a few minutes before either of the remaining occupants spoke again.

 **"** **What am I being inspected for?" Lucy asked hesitantly.**

Nolan shook off the daze his companion's departure had left him in. He reached out for the chains that bound Lucy to her platform and began undoing the largest ones.

"Vorgis' death was hard on him," Nolan murmured, ignoring her question. "Now with Argan missing… You are lucky to be alive."

"Vorgis?" Lucy wracked her brain for someone by that name. "I don't know who - oh. The mercenary leader with the poison capsule. That was not my fault. That man killed himself. We were only going to question him and then he would have ended up in prison."

 **"** **It's all the same to Everett," Nolan explained as he clasped new shackles around her wrists, lifting her arms over her head to link them to a hook hanging from the ceiling. "Were it not for your interference his men would have come home."**

 **"** **Vorgis hurt my friends," Lucy spat, cursing as the chains rubbed against tender, bruised flesh. "We were only there looking for them. He should not have targeted guild mages."**

"I will remember that for our future visits."

"That's not what I meant!" Lucy exclaimed. "Stay out of Fiore. My guild is on to you now, anyway."

"I doubt they will find anything of note to track us. Even Argan cannot tell them much… if they find him alive." Nolan waved passively, fumbling with more chains.

"You don't actually care about him, do you?" Lucy accused. "You don't care if he is alive."

"Everett does not tolerate fools or failures," Nolan smirked at her discomfort as he pulled her into a seated position. "None of the Moons do. If Argan lives, he knows not to bother coming back."

"That's despicable." Lucy took the opportunity to look around the room. There were no windows or furnishings beyond her stone platform and the lacrima lights on the ceiling. Chains hung across the ceiling, linked to pegs in the wall or more shackles.

Lucy tried not to think about the dark stains that marked the stone floor and focused on the stark contrast of Nolan's garb against the darkness. He wore a pale blue robe over a similarly colored frock. Soft leather slippers adorned his feet and his personal crest was stamped on the belt strapped tightly across his girth; a white gibbous moon over a field of midnight blue.

"I've never heard of your guild before," Lucy murmured hesitantly. "The Magic Council would not authorize a guild that deals in kidnapping, so you must be an unaffiliated dark guild."

Nolan faced her with another smirk. "Not quite, but close. We don't have guilds in this country."

"Country?" Lucy repeated, confused. "You took me out of Fiore?"

"You are a long way from home," Nolan admitted. He unhooked a chain from the wall and started to pull. Lucy felt the chains on her arms pull upwards and she was hoisted to her feet unceremoniously.

Pain shot through her shoulders as she was stretched higher, removing any further questions from her mind. Nolan did not stop until her toes barely grazed the floor. He reattached the chains to the wall so she would not fall and returned to her side to resume removing the rest of her binds.

Lucy's skin tingled with relief as the chains around her waist and legs were pulled away. She tried not to move much or her arms would pop and ache. Only the sound of snipping shears made her start to squirm.

"What are you doing?" she demanded furiously, watching as he peeled away her skirt. She scrambled for her feet to find purchase to try and kick at him, but with her ankles in chains and no leverage to aim, she stopped.

"You are going to be inspected," Nolan explained patiently. "You are being inspected so you can be placed in service to a Master depending on your abilities, skills... behavior… and your appearance and health. Raphael will heal all artificial wounds sustained during capture, then inspect you for lingering ailments, diseases, blood type… And your virtue. Your clothing only impedes his will be provided with new clothes once the Duke has decided what type of position you will be sold to fill."

Lucy had no words. She had blanched when he said a stranger would be inspecting her appearance and could only imagine what he meant by 'virtue'. She revolted at the word 'sold', painful, unwelcome memories of her past life creeping into her heart. Her soul cried out in desperation, wanting nothing more than to escape this prison and go home.

Nolan ignored her whimpers of protest as he continued to cut away at her clothes. He chuckled as he exposed her chest and hummed appreciatively as he cut her stockings away from her legs and feet.

"You get off on this, don't you?" she accused venomously as he fingered the lining of her underwear before cutting it away.

''Hardly," he commented. "Don't mind me."

"Just get it over with, then. Quit taking your time."

"As you wish," he replied, ripping her bra into pieces. He laughed as she squealed and pushed the collected scraps of clothing into a pile on the floor.

She was fully exposed to him now, alone in a room with no escape, but he made no advances on her. She closed her eyes and apologized silently to Natsu, wherever he was. She doubted he would be pleased with her state of undress despite her current predicament.

Thinking about Natsu initiated a jolt of pain that pierced Lucy's heart. She desperately hoped that he had found a way to survive the fall off that cliff. If there was anything she could count on, it was Natsu's uncanny ability to survive extremely unlikely, and fatal, situations.

Her thoughts were pulled away from her memories of near-death experiences with Natsu when the door reopened. The massive man with few expressions from before her capture led the way in, followed by a much smaller wisp of a man.

The first, Seraphino, Lucy deduced from Nolan's explanation, was broad shouldered and shirtless, exposing a wide expanse of muscle to the public eye. Only his hips and nethers were covered by long strips of overlapping pale blue shades of fabric that cut off at his knees. It was a skirt-like garment designed in the shendyt fashion of ancient civilizations. A deeper midnight blue fabric accented the piece, a full moon embroidered at the front. He wore thick leather sandals that strapped around his ankles. His dark hair hung to his shoulders in long waves. In all, he was quite an imposing figure.

The smaller man wore a long white tunic that fell to his feet, a thin leather cord tied at his waist. The full moon crest was cast into a small charm around his neck. At first glance, Lucy thought he was malnourished but when he lifted a massive wooden chest onto the platform beside her with practiced ease, she knew his outward appearance was misleading.

What struck her hardest was how difficult it was to look at either of them. They each cast an unearthly beauty from their expressionless forms. Ethereal and otherworldly, Lucy was compelled to look away from them more than once.

''Ah, good! Seraphino, you've brought Raphael," Nolan exclaimed. "We can begin when you are ready."

"Thank you for preparing her, Briggus, " the smaller man, Raphael, commented as Seraphino slipped into a corner to wait. Lucy could not tell if his lips were moving when he spoke.

"The Duke should be arriving soon to complete the assessment. Do you need my assistance or can I go prepare for his arrival?" Nolan shifted uncomfortably where he stood.

"You may leave us," Raphael conceded easily. As Nolan moved towards the door, Raphael added, "Gabriel contacted us on our way here. Lorona will be joining the Master, so please prepare for her arrival as well."

Nolan visibly shivered and left the room in a hurry. Lucy wondered who these people were to strike such a reaction in a man who wielded so much power. Once the door closed again, her attention returned to the man in front of her.

Raphael said nothing as he walked around her, his black eyes raking unabashedly over her form. She flinched as he touched her, his cool, calculating fingers pulling at her skin when he wanted to see something better. He pinched and prodded at her breasts, testing their weight in his palms. As he moved behind her, he felt his digits trace the vicious scar across her right shoulder, twitching as he brushed up on the sensitive skin.

Lucy flushed heavily when he beckoned for Seraphino and asked their silent spectator to lift her legs enough for him to inspect her.

"You're joking," she protested, attempting to wriggle out of Seraphino's hold. "You cannot touch me there."

"Please stay still so I can inspect you properly, miss," Raphael ordered calmly.

"No one touches me there!" she shrieked as Seraphino's grip tightened on her legs.

"We must be certain," Raphael insisted, pulling thin, white gloves over his narrow hands, the tone of his voice not changing beyond the calm disposition. "You must be inspected and tested or you will be cast away and killed, so please be silent and keep still."

So, with tears streaming down her cheeks, Lucy turned her face away to hide her shame and fury as the man pulled long, imposing metal implements from the wooden chest and got to work. She sobbed harshly as Raphael's fingers pulled apart her labia and he commented on his findings.

"Hymen intact, minor tearing from physical exertion. You have not had sex?" He looked to her for an answer.

Still struggling to regain control of her sobs, Lucy shook her head and naively hoped that was the end of it.

Raphael nodded and indicated for Seraphino to hold her steady. She whimpered as a thin cylindrical tool slid into her slowly, pinching slightly as it intruded in places she had always kept private. She heard a loud click and felt her insides start to stretch uncomfortably.

"What are you doing?" she shouted. She tried to fight her way out of their hold but found herself unable to move in the massive man's vice grip.

"No obvious signs of active diseases," Raphael continued as though she had not spoken. "Cervix is pinpoint. Vaginal wall is clear of any lesions. Scraping sample to test for lingering internal issues."

Fresh tears fell from her eyes as a sharp pinch radiated pain from where she usually only felt menstrual cramps. Raphael pulled away a series of swabs and clippings and placed them carefully into the wooden chest. When finished, he released the lock on whatever apparatus he had put inside her and slid the contraption out slowly. The relief was instant and doubled as her legs were released to hang again.

"Did you have to say all of that out loud?" Lucy whispered, humiliated, wanting to melt into the floor and disappear.

"I did not say it for your benefit or to embarrass you." Raphael removed his gloves and waved a glowing hand over the chest.

"He said it for me," came a deep voice from the doorway.

Lucy's breath caught as she registered another newcomer to the room. A tall man with dark hair that brushed his eyebrows in a gentle coif over deep azure eyes. A thin mustache adorned his upper lip and a trimmed goatee grew low on his chin, offering the look of groomed elegance Lucy had not seen since her time at her family's estate. The man was dressed in a white dinner shirt with black pants, shoes, and cloak. A clasp of blue sapphires held the cloak in place over his shoulders. She estimated him to be in his early forties, handsome in his own right, and very dangerous.

"She's bleeding, Raphael," he stated. Her inspector looked away from his equipment to see the small trickle of blood she could feel gliding down her thigh.

"She is untouched. It appears I was still too rough despite my caution," Raphael stated simply. "I will heal that with her other wounds, my Lord."

"Very good," the newcomer accepted the inspector's answer and began his own tour around her suspended form.

 _This must be the Duke,_ she realized suddenly. _Be careful, Lucy. This is the man who will determine your future.  
_  
"Are there any issues?" the Duke asked directly.

Raphael's hand moved away from the samples in the chest. "My tests have returned clear. She is clean of any ailments, cancers, or pregnancy. I will heal her now."

"Can you get rid of this scar?" The Duke brushed her hair aside to expose her right shoulder again. "It looks relatively new. A month old? Maybe less."

Raphael brought a glowing hand up to her shoulder. Where once his touch was cold, now an unexpected warmth flowed into her body from his touch.

"It is a magically healed scar, my Lord. It was likely a near fatal wound. The most I can do is finish setting the scar. The color will fade but I will not be able to get rid of it."

"That is unfortunate." Lucy froze at the Duke's tone of resignation.

"Might I suggest you have it covered, my Lord?"

"Perhaps. Either way she'll be dressed in white. Heal her as best as you can. Seraphino, make sure she is bathed and brought to the teleportation room. Lorona is keeping the link open and I want to head back before the sun sets."

The room was silent but the Duke must have gotten the response he needed before he left them in peace. Lucy stayed quiet as Raphael cast his hand over her scrapes and bruises. He continued as Seraphino lowered her chains and she touched ground, healing the strain in her arms and the damage done to her wrists and muscles. By the time she was released, she felt better than she had in weeks, save for the lack of magic in her body. She could still feel the energy pooled around her ankles but was unable to reach for it.

She grabbed her keys from the discarded scraps of clothing left behind on the floor and held them close to her chest before she was whisked out of the room and dumped unceremoniously into a lukewarm shower. Two handmaidens with veiled faces and gold chains around their ankles arrived to bathe her. Lucy barely noticed them, letting the world move around her as reality sunk in.

Before she knew it, she was being wrapped in a white robe and escorted to another large windowless chamber that sported another large glowing portal on its seamless, round wall. The Duke stood there waiting, his eyes focused on the swirling silvery-blue vortex.

"Mesmerizing, isn't it?" he asked as she was escorted to his side. He held out his arm to her and guided her hand to rest on it.

"It is very powerful magic," she admitted softly. "Beautiful to look at when not being used to kidnap people."

He turned to look at her, his gaze appraising. He placed a finger beneath her chin to tilt her head up. "I must say, my dear. You have the face a man would go to war for… Shall I name you Helen?"

"My name is Lucy," she hissed.

"Tsk… that is who you were, love. With a tongue like a whip… no, you are no Helen. I will find the right name for you." The Duke released her chin and looked back at the portal. "Come, you were dragged into this place. Let us walk away from it together, yes?"

The Duke guided her into the swirling portal, the shimmering mass tickling her skin as she passed through.

They stepped out of the portal onto a high balcony overlooking a sprawling city. No house or shop looked the same and the entire view was bathed in vibrant hues of color. Flags and streamers decorated the streets. Lucy could see bands of entertainers, musicians, dancers, and artists decorating the city with their craft. It was unlike any place she had ever seen before.

"Where am I?" she asked meekly.

The Duke smiled warmly and gestured to the city below. "Welcome to Trovatore, the capital city of Minstrel."

* * *

 **It took two days for the Council's specialists to arrive on Mount Hakobe and that was with Mest's assistance in transporting the crew more than halfway there. Once they appeared, they took Natsu's account of the altercation and got to work identifying the spell. They shared few words with anyone but Freed and Laxus, who had arrived the same morning. Their prisoner had been moved immediately to a fortified unit provided by the Council but had yet to wake up for questioning.**

The guild had converged on the cavern by morning the first day. The support team escorted the rescued captives down the mountain, offering them sanctuary with Princess Hisui's rehabilitation clinic in Crocus or an escort home should they desire that instead. The news of Lucy's capture was met with a variety of reactions; mostly anger that their nakama was missing and in danger. It was a surprise to the majority of the guild that Natsu had not already run off to save her.

Natsu felt useless. Impatience ate at him like a parasite, urging him to leave the cavern and find Lucy on his own. He stayed because it was the 'wise' course of action, according to everyone else, but as he sat under Laxus' critical eye on their third day, he felt caged and more alone than ever before.

"Interesting…" Freed was muttering from where he stood by the cracked expanse of wall. He traced a series of dark purple runes with his rapier and frowned when they rearranged themselves into a new pattern.

 **"** **What's wrong?" Bickslow asked, studying the runes over his teammate's shoulder.**

 **"** **It was a Directional Portal spell," Freed explained. "Someone was able to manipulate space to bring two points together and create a rift to cross through without the hassle of travel."**

"Is this a bad thing?" Levy inquired. The Solid Script mage had been the first volunteer to stay behind and aide the Council's researchers.

 **"** **It's actually a good thing," one of the researchers supplied. Kiki, the Archive mage and secretary at the Council's headquarters, had been personally selected for this job. Her collection of knowledge was priceless and a great asset to their mission.**

 **"** **How is this good?" Natsu growled sullenly. "She got transported and could be anywhere."**

 **"** **Not necessarily," Kiki explained. She projected a map of Ishgar in the air with her magic and zeroed in on Fiore. "Directional Portals are powerful, but they are extremely limited. Unlike regular Teleportation Magic, where a mage can move in any direction over a short distance, these portals can only move in one direction, the way they are pointing."**

Kiki took in their confused expressions and attempted to elaborate. "Think of it this way… there are two points on a map, say Crocus and Magnolia, and you need to travel between the two. To use a Directional Portal, you would need to open a portal in Crocus and have a receiver in Magnolia to act as the catalyst to connect the two points and open the portal in Magnolia."

Kiki marked the two cities on her map and drew a straight line between them. "The only way to establish the connection is for both portals to be facing one another in a direct line. A fraction off and… well, it's unpleasant."

Bickslow stepped up to the map, his expression thoughtful. "So the spell transports you across this whole distance instantly?"

"Almost. It's creates a sort of pocket that pulls the two points together." Kiki placed a finger on each point on the map and pinched them together, crumpling the land in between. "It acts more as a doorway. The space in between does not exist anymore."

''How does knowing this help us find these bastards?" Laxus demanded impatiently. The king was waiting for their call and he needed answers.

"It means," Freed took over, "If we can calculate the exact angle of this wall, we can pinpoint a line and follow it to their exit point."

Kiki nodded her affirmation, zooming out on her map and creating a cone out from the location of their cave. "We know the portal pointed East, so we already have a general area to narrow in on. The difficult part will be figuring out the distance they traveled. I'll be honest. It… it might not be possible."

Natsu stopped listening. He did not want to hear their doubts as he stared at Kiki's map but as his eyes traced the Eastbound cone where it crossed over Bosco, Minstrel, Joya, Desierto, Bellum, to the southernmost tip of Pergrande, he felt overwhelmed and despair started to consume him again.

"I highly doubt these people will stay in one place very long," Laxus was saying. "We need a starting place."

 **"** **We'll do what we can," was Kiki's diplomatic reply.**

Natsu felt his world crashing around his head. For three days he held out the hope that the Council's specialists would be able to give him something concrete to go off of. Laxus promised them some sort of lead. Now, all he had was 'East'. He wracked his brain for

 ** _anything_** **that could help him now.**

 **"** **Kiki," he called quietly.**

"Yes?" she replied tersely.

 **"** **Do you have anything in your Archive about a guild called the Four Moons?" he vaguely recalled the short man… Noral? ... saying that was their name.**

''Hmm… nothing that immediately comes to mind. I know we do not have any registered guilds by that name. I will run a search and see what I can find." She turned away from the Fire Dragon Slayer dismissively and resumed her study with Freed.

Her offer did nothing to settle Natsu's panic. He looked around at the cavern full of his guild mates, all there to serve their country and solve this new threat. He sensed the camaraderie but still felt completely isolated amongst his family.

Lucy was gone and he needed her now more than ever. He spun in circles trying to find someone to lean on… anyone. Wendy was busy, Happy was with Carla, Erza was missing… there was no one else around he trusted like Lucy...

A wave of oppressive solitude threatened to swallow him whole. His breath started coming in short bursts, his heart making frantic leaps towards his throat. It was all too much.

 **"** **Natsu?" Levy asked cautiously. ''Are you alright?"**

"I…I can't…do this… I'm sorry…" he stuttered frantically.

 **"** **Natsu?" Laxus joined Levy, their expressions concerned.**

"I can't breathe," he murmured, his chest heaving. "I have to go… outside… I'll be back."

Natsu turned away and hurried out of the cave, ignoring anyone who called out to him. As he stepped out onto the ledge beyond the cave's mouth, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

 ** _You have to settle down,_** **he told himself sternly.** ** _You won't help Lucy by panicking.  
_** **  
Natsu turned towards the mountainside and started to climb up over the cave towards the peak. He climbed for twenty minutes before reaching a flattened shelf to rest on. He looked out from his perch towards the East, begging the Heavens for some sort of sign to help him find his partner.**

When nothing happened, he started to walk the length of the shelf, intrigued as it wrapped around towards the North. He walked on, his heart rate gradually slowing down, until the sun broke through the cloud cover in the distance, exposing a distant mountain peak in his line of sight. A thought came to him. A sudden, desperate, reaching hope beyond hope.

"Natsu!" Happy's voice cried out behind him. "Why did you run off?"

He smiled at the Exceed excitedly. "Sorry, Happy. I was suffocating in there."

"I get it," Happy empathized. "It's hard waiting around for answers."

 **"** **We need to get our team back, Happy," Natsu declared, not taking his eyes off of the distant mountain. "We are going to go get Lucy… without the Council's help."**

''How? We don't know anything more than they do." Happy said with unshed tears in his eyes.

"Because we're going to start there," Natsu declared, pointing North. He remembered all of Lucy's notes and tracking logs in her apartment, all the work she had done before they began their journey. "Let's go before anyone tries to stop us."

Happy grabbed onto the collar of Natsu's vest. "What's out there, Natsu?"

 **"** **A frozen bastard."**

Happy's mouth curved into a wide smile as he spread his wings, lifting them into the air.

"Aye, sir!"

* * *

 **A/N: I swear, I have nothing against Lucy. This is just the way the story goes.**

 **I have received a few more reviews and PMs about "when is the sexy times happening?" with my NaLu… Not for a while. If you want to sample my NaLu lemons, please take a look at my series of one shots in "Shooting Stars Across Fiore". I hope that will tide you over until this story gets there.**

 **A shout out to all my friends and family living near, riding out, and escaping hurricane Irma. Fingers crossed that Jose stays far, far away from the US.**

 **Thank you to ShanaHollows and OtakuPrincess28 for helping me with this chapter (I scrapped it THREE TIMES!) Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm seriously impressed by the response I've been getting. Until next time, love bugs. -xoxo**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18:

Trovatore, the illustrious capital city of Minstrel, was a magnificent sight to behold. Lucy found herself hard pressed to tear her eyes away from the glistening city until The Duke cleared his throat. The dark-haired man barely cast her a second glance before taking his leave, asking an attendant to see Lucy to the holding chambers.

A copper-skinned woman stepped forward and wrapped her hand around Lucy's arm. Lucy observed her briefly before turning away with a blush. A cropped off the shoulder top and loose billowing pants made from translucent purple cloth were all that protected the woman's bare body from the elements. Only the veil over her nose and mouth was opaque to hide her lips.

Lucy struggled in the veiled attendant's grip as the Duke left, trying to follow the only person who had been semi-decent to her. The attendant refused to budge, standing firm and stoney-eyed with a solid grasp on Lucy's upper arm. When it became clear that the Duke was not coming back, Lucy resigned herself to being led down a narrow, winding staircase instead.

The attendant did not speak to her, as though the sheer fabric across her lips prevented the simple act of speech. The only sound as they descended each floor was the soft jingling of the gold bands around her ankles and the long, thin chain that linked them together. Lucy could walk with ease, but the feeling of her legs chained together kept her eyes glued to the floor for fear of tripping. She noticed that the attendant had the same shackles but lacked the interlocking chain.

Intrigued, Lucy opened her mouth to ask how to get them removed, but was stopped when they reached the bottommost floor. Her guide held up a hand and motioned for Lucy to follow her through a grim wooden door. Unlike the ornate hallways she had glimpsed from the balcony and various open passages during their descent, the old battered door revealed a dark, damp corridor, dimly lit by the occasional low-burning torch.

Lucy held her head high and tried not to shiver as she was lead through the corridor, her bare feet chilled by the cold stone. She cringed as the attendant led her past door after door of empty barred cells until they reached a wide circular chamber. The cells here were open walled, their entrances barred with thick steel.

 _These are little more than cages_ , Lucy realized, terror seizing her heart.

The attendant pulled open a small door to the middle cage and motioned for Lucy to go in.

"You're kidding," Lucy protested, rearing back. "I'm not going in there!"

A harsh shiver trailed down her spine as she looked closely at the exposed cell. Her white robe would do little to protect her from the chill of stone and the dank underground air. There were no windows for her to see out of, but the faint drip of a weeping stone told her she would find no warmth here.

The attendant motioned again, her look pleading through the dim light.

"Please," Lucy begged, trying to move her legs against the shackles. "Don't leave me here."

Her resistance was thwarted as her feet stumbled against her chains. The veiled woman grabbed Lucy's wrist and tugged her forward, using the Celestial Mage's unsteady momentum to push her inside.

Lucy regained her balance and rushed at the gate but a slim mechanical lock slid into place, trapping her within.

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded. "Why won't you let me go?"

The woman looked away, her eyes downcast.

"ANSWER ME!" Lucy slammed her hands against the bars, surprising the attendant when the steel rattled from the force. The veiled woman turned away and fled from the hall.

"Damn you," Lucy sobbed, falling to her knees, wincing as the gold bit into her ankles. Tears finally broke free and flooded the floor beneath her. "Please let me go… I want to go home."

Lucy let her cries fill the stone chamber, her loud, wracking sobs echoing around her. Each tear tore an angry hole inside of her. She screamed, freeing her fears and filling this new void with rage.

A low, stuttering hiss joined her wails. Lucy froze, her eyes darting around for the approaching serpent. A sharp intake of breath cut in before the hissing continued and Lucy realized there was someone in the room with her.

"Who's there?" she called out, pulling the front edges of her robe together, the fabric tight across her chest.

There was movement around the corner of her cell, behind the stone wall. Slow steps shuffled across the floor, a soft jingling and the rustle of fabric was all she could hear.

"Hello?" Lucy repeated. She pushed away from the exposed cell wall towards a small pallet covered in a thin blanket and a single flat pillow. "Come out where I can see you."

A robed figure emerged from the shadows, movements slow and uncertain. Lucy could not make out much, a hunched figure with an unsteady gait at most, but this strange person made the hairs on her arm stand on end. She shivered and wished her captors had dressed her in more than a short white robe before leaving her in a damp dungeon.

She jumped when the figure rushed at the bars of her cell. Clawed, arthritic fingers grasped at the steel, knuckles white. The hood fell back and Lucy was startled by the gaunt, sallow skinned man that stared at her, thin wisps of oily hair hanging in strings to his shoulders. He stared at her with large, bulging eyes, his toothless jaw gaping. Lucy cringed as he wet his lips, his thick tongue riddled with welts and bumps. What unnerved her most was the silence that followed him. Even the steady drip of water had stilled.

"Can I help you?" Lucy squeaked out, trying to fill the air and relieve her discomfort.

He stared, wide eyes admiring every inch of Lucy's form. She pulled her robe tighter. Dry, raspy breaths and long shallow hisses were the only sounds that accompanied his presence. He looked excited and Lucy was certain she would not like the reason why.

* * *

The mountain ranges of Northern Fiore were slick with snow and ice. Storms covered every inch of the mountain range with hail casting angry bullets down to the earth. Natsu held Lucy's notebook firmly in his grasp, a physical tether to keep him moving forward through the vicious cold.

"Do you think he's here?" Happy asked from his place burrowed in Natsu's scarf. He had to speak up to be heard over the howling winds.

"I don't think so," Natsu grumbled, an attentive eye scouring the landscape for any clues. "He might like the cold, but this would be a stretch even for him."

"Why didn't we go back to Lamia Scale and ask Lyon if he's heard any news?"

"Lucy did before we left," Natsu flipped to a page in the notebook. "See? Here... 'Lyon doesn't know anything more than I've already put together'. It was dated right after she woke up."

Happy groaned. "I wish we had _something_ to go off of. It's cold and I'm out of magic. I can't fly us to the next mountain if he's not here."

Natsu placed a comforting hand on the blue Exceed's head. "Don't worry, buddy. We'll find a cave and rest up before we head out again."

Happy nodded and burrowed himself closer to Natsu's warm skin, conserving his energy until they could find shelter.

Their salvation from the cold appeared minutes before daylight faded from the turbulent gray sky. The storm had been relentless as they circled the mountainside, punishing winds sticking them with sleet and rain from every angle.

Natsu swore when he caught sight of an edge of darkness beyond the sheets of white. He cheered at the sight of a small cave entrance and pushed forward, leaping over a fallen fir tree to get inside.

The raucous noise of wind died away when they got inside, leaving them in the presence of an overwhelming silence. Natsu could not see the back of the cave. He squinted through the darkness to try and make out how deep their temporary refuge went.

"Do you think we'll be safe in here?" Happy whispered, dropping from Natsu's shoulders to walk on his own.

"Sure we will," Natsu grinned, setting his fist aflame. He flashed the feline a wide, sharp-toothed grin. "Nothing is going to get us in here."

"Uhm… Natsu?" Happy gulped, his eyes wide and frozen on the air behind Natsu's head. "You might want to look around before promising something like that."

"What?" Natsu looked around the illuminated cave in confusion. He followed Happy's frightened gaze over his shoulder only to come face to face with the snarling maw of a massive brown bear.

Natsu laughed and rolled his shoulders.

"No problem!" he exclaimed. "I've been itching for a fight all day."

The bear roared and the cave walls trembled around them. The beast reared back on its hind legs, raising a giant paw to strike.

"You think _that's_ a terrifying roar?" Natsu challenged, spreading his feet wide and bringing his fists to his mouth. "Let me show you mine."

Happy fled towards the mouth of the cave as a stream of fire left Natsu's spell and engulfed the territorial mammal. He dove behind a rock and let the heat wash safely overhead, his ears only getting slightly toasted. He rolled his eyes as Natsu cackled and released another fiery attack.

The duo ate well that night before a warm, fresh fire that Natsu kept eyeing greedily. The meat salvaged from the cave's previous tenant melted in their mouths and restored their energy levels significantly.

"Hey Natsu?" Happy purred over his large serving of bear thigh.

"Yeah?"

Happy took a deep breath, a little apprehensive over how Natsu would react to his query. "Why did you want to do this instead of helping search for Lucy? I mean… Wouldn't we be more helpful assisting the researchers than trying to finish getting the guild back together?"

Natsu's eyes darkened for a moment. "It wasn't easy for me… leaving like that. This isn't about getting the guild back together. Us being out here _will_ help Lucy."

"How do you figure?" Happy scowled. "The long distance portal could only go in one direction and it wasn't this one. How does being in the cold, wet snow searching for a guy who clearly doesn't want to be found help us get Lucy back?"

"Happy…" Natsu put his dinner to the side and crouched in front of the Exceed. "I don't know what to do without her anymore and we can't save her on our own. If there's anyone who cares about Lucy as much as we do, it's Gray. We're going to need back up _when_ we find her. We've been a team from the moment Lucy arrived… and we're going to save her as a team."

Happy nodded, his heart lighter. "OK. We'll keep going… For Lucy."

"For Lucy. Let's get some sleep and head out early."

"Aye!"

* * *

Lucy was jolted awake by the clang of her cell door closing. A young veiled attendant, different from the one before, had entered the cell carrying a small tray of food. Lucy's stomach twinged involuntarily at the unappealing sight of bread crust and stewed bean soup as it was placed on the floor a few feet away.

"I'm not hungry," she muttered, eyeing the woman with an accusatorial glare. She doubted the food was poisoned but anyone who kept her locked in this cage was at fault for the injustice of her imprisonment.

The attendant remained silent and bent to nudge the tray forward. She gestured for Lucy to take it.

"I don't want their scraps, thanks," she bit out, rolling over on the scratchy pallet so she didn't have to look at the meager offering.

Lucy heard a heavy sigh and the rustling of fabric moving behind her. She peered over her shoulder curiously to watch as the veiled woman settled into a kneeling position by the tray, her thin clothes providing minimal protection from the cold stone. A long, brown braid held the hair back from her tan features. Lucy huffed and rolled back over, pushing herself into a seated position so she could face her intruder.

"You're going to stay here until I eat, aren't you?" she asked dully. _Why else would she sit down? To hang out?_

The woman bowed her head slightly, startling Lucy with the gesture. She hadn't expected anything but more of the blank stares she had received so far.

"I told you, I'm not hungry," she declared defiantly, scowling when her stomach betrayed her with an audible growl.

The attendant raised an elegant, arched eyebrow and nudged the tray forward again. When Lucy continued to refuse, a small sigh escaped the veiled woman and she stood, preparing to leave.

Lucy cursed herself softly. This person had brought her food. Meager or not, it was the first real kindness she had been shown since her arrival.

"Wait," she called out, palms pressed together overhead. The attendant paused, hand and key hovering over the lock. "Please stay."

The woman eyed her skeptically, fingering the end of her braid thoughtfully.

"Please," Lucy begged. "I'll eat if you stay."

After a long, quiet pause, the woman nodded and returned to her kneeling position on the cold stone floor. Lucy smiled gratefully before pulling the tray towards herself. She picked up the small metal spoon resting beside the bowl of stew and stirred the contents slowly.

"Promise me it isn't poisoned?" Lucy asked, frowning when the woman shrugged. _Great._

She brought a spoonful of the green mush to her lips and touched the tip of her tongue to the edge for a taste.

"Not too bad," she murmured, spooning the whole bite into her hungry mouth. "A little weak but not awful. Maybe next time you can bring it while it's still warm, eh?"

The attendant rolled her eyes, golden orbs calling silently to the heavens before returning their gaze to the new prisoner. Lucy took another bite of her stew, grimacing as she bit into a grainy clump of barely cooked beanstalk.

"My regards to the chef," she remarked, choking out a short laugh before wincing over another mouthful. "In all seriousness, this is awful. Please tell me it will get better?"

It was Lucy's turn to roll her eyes as the attendant shrugged again.

"Do you have a name?" Lucy inquired, dipping a hard piece of crust into the broth in a vain hope of softening it.

The attendant nodded, her hands coming to life in her lap. In movements too fast for Lucy to follow, the woman's fingers moved intricately while waving erratically back and forth. Realization dawned on Lucy as she focused on her companion's hands and watched as the erratic behavior transformed into fingers dancing through the air.

"You can't speak. Can you?" she whispered. The movements stalled and the woman locked eyes with Lucy.

"Can any of you?" she inquired, remembering the curious silence of the veiled attendant who had brought her into the dungeon.

The attendant bowed her head, eyes distant and sorrowful. With a small shake of her head, the woman held out one hand and made a quick, downward cutting motion with the other.

"They took away your ability to," Lucy murmured. "How do you communicate? Or ask questions?"

The woman raised her hands and shrugged. Lucy held up her hands, mirroring the position.

"Teach me?" she asked earnestly, fixing her gaze on the stunned attendant before her.

The woman beamed, her smile clear behind the veil covering her face. Her hands started waving wildly in more intricate patterns Lucy could barely follow. Her open arms and eyes glittering with hope convinced Lucy that the woman was speaking positively.

Lucy held out her hands in a soothing gesture and the attendant paused, eyeing Lucy warily.

"Do you know how to write?" Lucy asked once she had her attention.

The woman's eyes dulled and flitted around the chamber anxiously. Seeming satisfied after a moment, she held up a closed fist and bent her wrist up and down, nodding in tandem.

Picking up on her new friend's tension, Lucy asked cautiously, "Are you allowed to know how?"

She watched as the woman looked around quickly before shaking her head, rocking her fist side to side to match the movements.

Lucy smiled gently. "Would you start by teaching me how to use the alphabet with my hands? That way I can spell things I do not know how to say."

The woman nodded again, her wrist mimicking the up and down motion once more. Lucy lifted her fist and bent her wrist up and down, much to the woman's delight.

They spent the next while going over each letter slowly, Lucy speaking the letter and the attendant flexing and bending her fingers into a new shape to represent it. Lucy copied her movements as best as she could, grateful that her long years as a mage had kept her hands flexible. If she made a mistake, the woman would show her again or move her fingers into the correct pose.

As Lucy finished dragging her index finger through the air in a 'z' pattern, she sighed with satisfaction. She eyed her companion thoughtfully before raising her hand to try using her new skills.

 _W-H-S…_ she paused, cursing quietly as she realized her thumb was in the wrong position. She wrung out her hand and tried again.

 _W-H-A-T…_ she smiled with pride and continued. _I-S-Y-O-U-R-N-A-M-E_

She scowled knowing her gestures were choppy and new but she promised herself she would improve.

Her new friend raised her hand and slowly moved her fingers so Lucy could follow. _M-E-I-_

There was a clang from the outside Lucy's cell. The woman jumped and stood before collecting Lucy's long forgotten tray of food. She passed the cup of water into Lucy's hand and tilted it up, forcing Lucy to drink.

Lucy gulped the refreshing liquid, her stomach aching for more nutrients than she had been able to feed it. Boots shuffled across the stone floor towards her cage and the attendant pulled the cup away, the last drops splashing across Lucy's chest.

"Mei," Lucy whispered, hoping she had not misunderstood the letters the woman had signed to her. "Thank you."

Bright eyes sparkled as the woman looked back and nodded before letting herself out and locking the steel barred door behind her. She bolted in the opposite direction of the shuffling sound, leaving Lucy to curl up on her mattress once more.

 _Mei_ , Lucy thought, ignoring the heavy breathing that paused at her cell. The woman had been so alert and comforting in this dungeon. Lucy was grateful knowing that she may have made at least one friend in this new prison.

 _Prison… who am I kidding?_

This was Hell.

* * *

 **A/N - Ayeeee… It's been 10 months since I last posted a chapter. That is embarrassing. I'm not dead! Just… /sigh… Life happened. I know you guys understand but it has been a real kick in the lady junk for me. Working on taking better care of myself now and things are improving. Slowly.**

 **Thank you for your patience. You have no idea how much it means to me that not a single one of you has badgered me incessantly about my absence. I hope you keep reading. I still have long, drawn out plans for this story that I WILL make happen.**

 **A HUGE thank you to my dear friend ShanaHollows for being my palm tree in this hurricane. She has been flexible and accommodating for all of my needs since last September. I strapped down and held on to her stories to keep some form of creativity in my life. If there's anyone who has kept me involved in the Fairy Tail universe instead of falling out and dropping out of writing for good, it's her. Read her stuff. Give her love. She is the best.**

 **I love you all. -xoxo**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

Lucy spent the quiet hours in her dimly lit cell moving her fingers in the new, intricate patterns Mei had taught her. She tried to keep herself covered, lifting the thin blanket to cover her legs in a futile attempt trap all the heat she could.

She tried not to count the hours that passed and wished fervently that she had something with which to pass the time. Even the simple act of feeling her spirits' presence through her keys would have been enough to dull the tedium of her solitude. Still, as she brushed her cold fingers across their colder metal, she felt none of their usual warmth. Instead, Lucy only felt the dull ache of her magic drained into the thin gold bands around her ankles.

She called out to the other cells in the hopes that there was another person she could talk to, but there was no response. Her echoes faded across the jagged stone hall.

Mei did not return that night and a different attendant brought her next meal. It was the copper-skinned attendant who had shoved her into her damp cage earlier that day. The woman still refused to acknowledge Lucy, her weak attempts to spell "hello" with cold-stiff fingers, or her requests for another blanket.

Once there was no one left to attempt to communicate with, Lucy sipped slowly at the boiled carrot and chicken broth stew she was given, taking her time to savor the lukewarm, salty food. She sipped at the cup of cold water as well but saved a small amount and left it near her pillow.

Alone and shivering on her lumpy pallet, Lucy was lulled into a restless sleep; waking often at the frequent appearance of the bulging eyed shadow that licked its lips and stared. After his fifth visit, she clutched at the broken key fragment around her neck.

 _Natsu. Come get me._

She missed her fiery partner so much that her heart ached at the thought of him. She knew he must be out there, searching for her. She prayed he'd find her soon.

The jingling of keys in her cell door woke Lucy from the brief moment of peace she'd been having, and she turned stiffly, catching sight of Mei's golden eyes observing her with silent concern. The attendant carried a small tray with two small tendrils of steam rising from its contents.

Anxious at seeing the heat leaving her meal, Lucy pushed herself up and eagerly grabbed the plate right off the tray.

"Thank you." Lucy's voice rattled. Her throat was dry and the chill settling into her bones made it hard to talk.

Mei waved her hands in a shushing gesture, laying a reassuring arm on Lucy's wrist. Mei's hand curled back from the blonde's frozen skin for an instant, but she rubbed at the icy skin in soothing circles. She placed the tips of her fingers against her own chin and then pulled her hand away in an upward palm gesture.

Lucy gave a small smile and mimicked the gesture for 'thank you'. Mei nodded and then gave a second gesture for Lucy to eat. She looked down at the lumpy porridge in her bowl with a frown. She took a small bite, sighing with joy as the lingering heat of the oats slid down her throat. It was bland and chewy, but to Lucy it was a small slice of heaven. The chill in her bones eased infinitesimally and her hands began to move with a little more ease.

"G-O-O-D M-O-R-N-I-N-G", she spelled sloppily, her free hand lifting the cup of warm tea to her mouth. She tasted a splash of honey in the ginger brew and she gave a grateful sigh.

Mei's eyes sparkled and she responded with a much smoother gesture.

Lucy put down her tea and copied her. "Does this mean 'good morning'?"

Mei nodded eagerly and pushed a fresh cup of water into Lucy's hands. She frowned at the cup, wishing deeply for a hot cup of coffee or even another mug of lukewarm tea. She wished she was back in her apartment. A bitter pang cut through her chest at the thought of home. She desperately wanted to believe that her friends would come for her but if what that man Nolan had said was true… that Natsu had perished…

 _Stop it_. _Natsu wouldn't let that fall stop him. And he wouldn't let some monster like Nolan best him. He's fine. Just like he always is. He'll come for me and when he does he will rain the fire of hell down on this miserable place._

She drank half of the water too quickly and choked, spitting water out and onto her thin blanket. Mei patted her back comfortingly until her cough subsided.

Lucy repeated the sign for "thank you" and curled back onto her pallet, her back toward the attendant. She heard the woman sigh softly and pick up her tray before leaving the cell. After the click of the lock slid into place and the soft shuffle of Mei's footsteps faded away, Lucy threw back the damp blanket and got up to relieve herself in the small pail left in the far corner of her cell. She cursed her captors for the squalor she was being forced to live in before curling back up under the meager blanket.

Shivering from the cold that seeped into every pore on her skin, she drifted back into an uneasy sleep and dreamt of warm arms and fiery lips that promised her the world.

* * *

Natsu cursed as the third mountain peak proved as fruitless as the previous two. He stopped punching the oak tree he had been demolishing into splinters and sank back on the snow covered ground. He leaned against the remainder of the burnt tree stump, reopening the worn black leather notebook full of Lucy's records of their guildmate's movements.

Happy inched forward slowly, testing for any negative reaction from the dragon slayer.

"Natsu?" Happy whispered, trying his hardest to keep his voice down.

"He's not here, Happy," Natsu groused, tossing the notebook into the snow at his side. He looked up at the grey clouds and silently begged them to let the sun through.

"Maybe we should go back," Happy whispered, wincing at his own words and squeezing his eyes shut in fear of Natsu's reaction.

Natsu sighed and placed a comforting hand on his friend's fuzzy head, sending a burst of warmth through the small Exceed.

"You've been so good to come with me, Happy. Thank you for sticking with me this long." He smiled fondly before resting his head back on the tree. "I don't mind if you want to head back, buddy, but I'm going to keep trying. He's out here somewhere."

"I would never leave you out here alone!" Happy exclaimed, crossing his paws indignantly. "You'd get lost without me here. Plus I'd freeze to death and have to haunt you for the rest of your life!"

Natsu snorted. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"We're family, Natsu," the blue Exceed continued. "We stick together."

"Yeah, we do."

"I'm just worried we're no good at this finding people stuff," Happy admitted slowly.

"Lucy led us to everyone else," Natsu added. "She always had the plan."

"Can we at least call the guild and check in? I bet they're worried about us since we left without a word. And I want Carla to know I haven't forgotten about her!" Happy handed him the flat lacrima communicator from their bag. It had rung continuously until Natsu withdrew his magic from it the day before and he was hesitant to turn it on again.

"Laxus is going to be mad," he mused, turning the device over in his hand.

"He'll get over it," Happy insisted. "He knows you don't like to sit around."

"They weren't doing anything!" Natsu protested adamantly. "All they were talking about was how impressive that spell was and how impossible it would be to trace. We waited for _three days!"_

"I know, Natsu," Happy said, raising both paws in a placating gesture. "That's why I'm staying here with you. We need to do something but you can't forget that we don't have to do it alone. Lucy was talking to Mira and Cana a lot before this. Maybe they'll know more."

"You think they'll know something Lucy didn't write in her notebook?" Natsu glanced at the small book at his side.

"It's worth a shot, don't you think?" Happy's wide-eyed stare bored into him until he sighed in defeat.

"Fine," he grumbled and pushed his magic into the device to activate it.

Mirajane's watery eyes appeared in his lacrima screen moments later. Her cheeks were puffy and an angry pout downturned her mouth.

"Natsu Dragneel!" she shouted. "Where the hell do you get off running away like that? Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"

Natsu winced and turned his head as though to shield himself from her words.

"Hey Mira," he mumbled.

"Where are you?" she barked. Dark flames burned in Mira's bright blue eyes, the demons beneath her skin barely contained as her wrath leached out to hold onto him.

"North," he answered softly, grateful she couldn't reach him through the lacrima.

"North? What are you doing North? Come home, NOW! We're working night and day and we need you HERE!"

"Look… I -"

" _You_ look here -."

Mira's face disappeared from view as Laxus' hulking frame filed the small screen. He glowered through the lacrima and the hairs on the back of Natsu's neck stood on end. Happy gulped, cowering behind Natsu's shoulder.

"Gramps gave you a lot of slack, Natsu," the older slayer growled, lightning magic arcing around his form. "But you need to realize that this guild can only function if we communicate. I know Lucy's your friend but we are working -."

"She's not just my friend," Natsu interjected haughtily. "She's my partner. She's… my everything."

He paused, then blushed heavily as he realized what he'd admitted.

Mira's small gasp echoed from off-screen. Even Laxus looked stunned at his admission. Natsu's blush deepened.

"I won't lose her."

"Nevertheless," Laxus continued finally, choosing to ignore it altogether. "We are still working on tracking the traffickers - and you left in the wrong direction. You won't find Lucy on that path."

"I'm not looking for Lucy," he stated matter of factly, bracing himself for his guild master's wrath.

Mira pushed her way back onto the screen. "What do you mean you are not looking for Lucy? You just said-."

"I'm not looking for her, _yet_ ," he corrected, shivering at the icy glare she sent his way. "I'm looking for… That's why I'm calling, actually. I have Lucy's journal but her notes aren't complete. You guys talked a lot about this stuff so I was hoping you'd know more..."

Natsu trailed off, lifting his nose into an oncoming breeze. A familiar scent lingered on the crisp air and his stomach lurched.

"Natsu?" Mira's concerned voice threaded along his consciousness.

"I have to go," he whispered. The smell was coming from the North, tinged with the smell of salt.

"No," Laxus barked. "You need to come back and help us find these traffickers. Finding them will find Lucy and we can put the whole thing to rest. This is your job, Natsu. Whatever's out there can wait."

Natsu could barely hear him, his gaze narrowed on the distant horizon.

"I'll check in soon," he murmured and withdrew his magic from the lacrima, Laxus' angered expression disappearing from view.

"What happened?" Happy whispered from over his shoulder.

"I found him," Natsu grinned, baring his teeth.

* * *

The strange gatekeeper in the dungeon had woken her with his gasping breaths, his hands moving frantically beneath his robe as he eyed her sleeping form. She shivered in her pallet and glared until he sighed happily and shuffled off with a grunt. She hated that there was nothing in this cold, miserable place for her to hide from his lecherous gaze.

"Who is he?" Lucy asked again as Mei was clearing her tray. The attendant refused to make eye contact with her whenever she inquired about him.

Mei's eyes closed and she gave a small shiver. Shaking her head, Mei took the tray and left Lucy alone to her thoughts.

There were no windows in her dungeon cell, so she tracked the hours by the shift in chill on her exposed skin, wishing she had been given more than the grubby short robe to keep covered. No one came to see her, or talk to her, and she quickly ran out of things to focus on.

Thinking about her book made her frustrated since she had no way to write down her ideas or notes. Thinking about Natsu made her sad, and afraid that her kidnapper's confidence in her partner's demise had been warranted. Thinking about the guild made her homesick and her inability to connect with her spirits made her lonelier than everything else combined.

When the cold settled in on what she assumed was her third night in the cell, after the unfriendly attendant had forced the tray out of Lucy's hands and stalked off, Lucy settled in to her cot and tried once again to reach for any speck of magic she could. She brushed her hand along her keys that she never let go out of reach and flinched as a jolt of electricity laced up her leg in warning. No matter how little magic she tried to weild, the cuffs gave her nothing.

The harder she pulled at her magic, the sharper the sting of lightning spread through her. Veins of lightning scars appeared around her ankles, tracking her attempts and lack of progress.

As her screams subsided after her last, most forceful attempt, Lucy collapsed onto her pillow and let her sobs fill the empty dungeon. Hopelessness coursed through her, tightening in her chest until she could not breathe.

Her sobs ebbed slowly and the chill crept back in, her vulnerability settling the cold deep into her bones. The magic dampening links around her ankles burned and Lucy hated how the heat and pain thawed the discomfort in her bare hands and feet. She rubbed at her arms, keeping them tucked into her sides to hold any last remnants of heat from escape into the stone surrounding her.

The only sign of time passing was the growing stench of her pail in the back corner of her cell. Exhaustion took over and she closed her eyes against the darkness, letting the conscious world slip away.

Lucy woke again to the sound of a key unlocking her cell door. She shivered violently and could not bring herself to twist enough to look at her visitor. A slow shuffling made its way toward her and Lucy's eyes shot open at the stuttering hiss that followed. She stilled as the sound of a wet tongue ran over dry, paper lips.

Lucy rolled over quickly, clutching her robe across her chest and jumped to her feet, halting the unsteady progress of the gatekeeper moving into her cell. She jumped to her feet and moved backwards off her pallet.

The keeper cackled and moved toward her again, his eyes bulging in their sockets.

"Get out of my cell," Lucy whispered hoarsely, but he continued forward. Lucy stumbled back until she was pressed against the back wall of her cell.

Her ankle tapped against the metal side of her pail and she reached down to pick it up. Lucy grimaced as the contents sloshed inside, but she gripped the base and angled it towards the approaching man.

"Stay away from me," she warned, angling her arms to toss the contents of her pail at him. She didn't care if it made a mess, she wouldn't stand having him near her.

 _Unless he comes at me while covered in my shit_.

The thought struck her and she lowered her arms. He seemed unfazed by her words and continued his advance.

Smirking at an idea, she sauntered forward, pail in hand. Her unbidden guest froze and watched her warily. She help up the pail and shoved it into his chest.

"Be a dear and dump this out for me, would you?" she cooed haughtily, pushing until he gripped the bucket with his twisted, arthritic fingers.

Lucy turned away and went back to her sleeping pallet to sit down cross legged, the blanket half draped over her lap. She flipped her hair dismissively, trying not to cringe at the oil and dirt stuck in the fine strands.

Lucy could not tell if he understood her words, but the man shuffled out with the pail, locked the cell behind him, and moved away and out of the dungeon.

His absence did little to comfort her. Lucy refused to sleep again, keeping vigil from her seat and not daring to relax in case he came back for her.

* * *

 **A/N - Thank you to the lovely MorriganFae for pushing me to get through this chapter and post it by the end of the month for your enjoyment. Friendship challenges produce results (also, I can't say no to her). Thank you to the marvelous ShanaHollows for her unwavering encouragement. They are both super great sound boards for brainstorming and development. Go read their stuff. It's excellent!**

 **Thanks to you, dear reader, for continuing this journey with me. -xoxo**


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